The Art Of War by Sun Tzu Book Analysis

The Art of War a book written by Sun Tzu published circa 5th century in the late of the spring and autumn period and was used to help for military strategy in ancient China. Yet some of these tactics or more method is still used, and people still read this book in this Modern era. Using the tactics in much more of a methodical way than in a literal sense. Even though it still has an impact on today’s world what was the impact on ancient China how this singular piece of literature carries over for many years into our now day and age and how did people in ancient China use this to their advantage. This book is cut into 13 chapters each one devoted to a different art of skill that was used in war to gain an advantage against an enemy. It remains the most influential text in East Asia and is also moved to read all over the world. For example, as it spread the influence of the art of the war spread to the westerner’s military tactics, business tactics and beyond. In the art of the war in contained a detailed analysis of the Chinese military and all that the Chinese did during the 5th Century. This military at the time was considered one of the worlds finest and through this book was know by all the world to read and show how they did it in such this ancient era. Yet in the past it was a helpful tool that helped cause the reshaping of Ancient China and shaping and unifying China into one of the worlds most stable nations to be. 

Sun Tzu or also called Master Sun living in the spring and autumn period in ancient China. This was during the Golden Age of China and was from a time frame of 720 B.C to circa 470 B.C. During this time, it was just a time where it was not united, yet it was a just a place that was little states and it was a divided nation. Time before this was weird “During this period, a growing educated class gained influence in government and commerce because of its members' knowledge instead of their strength as fighters. The Chinese word shih, which originally meant a knight, came to mean a literate person during this era. Bureaucracy gained power as the feuding principalities consolidated under larger governments. As states began to tax individual landowners, peasants worked themselves free of their masters and practiced labor-intensive agriculture for a mostly vegetarian diet. Millet was supplemented by wheat from the north and rice from the south, and soybeans helped to revive the soil.” (pg. 1 Gagliardi). This was before the time when the art of war was written. It was a time where everything was off in the whole nation of China. The world shih was used as a regular changed meanings making just everybody seem like a warrior. Instead of people gaining in strength everyone was able to become smarter instead of being part of a greater good and keeping the king safe and being part of a state in peace instead of having everyone live in their place. No one was in their place and people started to gain their own power everyone living divided creating an equally undivided nation. Later master Sun came in and this was after the 11 main states of the nation of China signed a nonaggression pact with themselves making themselves live in some sort of harmony within the nation of China. This pact would go on to last for 40 years and it was split up into the major states Chi, Chin, Tzin, and Chu. One of the smaller states was called Chou and it was deemed the ruler of this pact yet there was no real power. Yes, their where states that come together but it still was just states that were divided and that only thing keeping them together was one singular pact. The only thing that was keeping the states together was that they could not attack each other it was not a utopia, and the pact really was not very impactful for the living of the people or the state’s general living overall, but it was just like a pact that did very minimal things a day. During this time these major states where fighting many of the smaller ancient Chinese civilizations ruling over more land and taking land from the barbarians expanding all the land of China during this period. Then this pact was disturbed circa 506 B.C by the kingdom of Wu even though this state was not in the pact all it took was one domino to let all the other ones tumble down. The kingdom of Wu started to take over most if not all the states that were in this pact and sooner than later the kingdom of Wu grew to be one of the largest and was the new dominant state in China. All of this was because of the work of Sun Tzu who was just hired 27 years ago and already made the kingdom on the dominate state in all of China. He used his knowledge and prowess to bring China together whether it be by force or in peace because of him and the reign of the Wu it brough China together for a period. Master Sun used his military tactics to bring China together and after the death of Master Sun. The kingdom of Wu began to fall and as their Capital was overtaken it fell later causing the reappearance of the kingdom of Chu. Still after hid death this work was published and admired by the people of China from the states that survived throughout the warring states period. Later the Chin ruled and created the country that we know of the powerful nation of China. What truly is the art of war?

The Chinese people that were left from the Warring States period admired his work and how one man could change the course of a whole kingdom. The admired how successful that he made and the work that he put in for his kingdom. This motivated some of the people in ancient China and made them work hard so that their state could also survive in an always changing world. He was glorified by making his death an exaggeration to make him seem as if he died as a warrior to the people of China. He teached everyone that the first rule in war is deception. To deceive your enemy and catch them by surprise. His work for the Kingdom of Wu personally I feel had much impact on the Chinese country that we see today. If the kingdom of Wu never broke the peace and tried to gain power than maybe all these states would carry over to today in age. Would China be just solely states if the kingdom of Wu never tried. The art of war shows us how people can not only battle in real life using armies but battle in let’s say debate. It is truly fascinating how something so eye opening was written in such an ancient time. 

The art of was made a revolutionary change in China and Master Sun in my eyes was one of the leading reasons that China is one nation in Modern day. People from ancient China viewed this was something great in how anyone could do anything to help their country if they just did their part. It united people and nations and helped them stop all be separate states and not be a very utopia nation in the big picture. The art of war talks about violence and how to win in wars but in order to have unity their must be war first.