One of the biggest influential pieces of Chinese literature written in our lifetime is arguably the Art of War by Sun Tzu. This text, possibly written in the spring and Autumn Period, is a military rule book that assists in guiding any Chinese military faction into success by means of giving the reader the perfect strategies to conquer their opponent. In late ancient china this text became extremely influential due to not only the accuracy of the military strategies within the text , but also due to the writer, Sun Tzu’s well known achievement as a general in Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China. Due to the influence The Art of War had on ancient China during the spring and autumn period, many Chinese armies adapted the strategy written …show more content…
The battles found In the Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu” give a better understanding of what happens when a military group uses the military philosophies found in the Art of War properly. The difference between the battles in the basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu and “The Battle of Chengpu “revolve mainly around the time periods. The Battle of Chengpu took place in the spring and Autumn Periods while the “Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu” took place in the Warring States period. This is important to note due to the time period the Art of War was written and when it became prevalent. Because the Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu took place later in the history ancient china, the Art of war was much more famous and renowned due to its popularity. This is context is worth mentioning because the similarities between the military tactics used by Emperor Gaozu to defeat Xiang Li In The Basic annals of Emperor Gaozu are almost directly similar to the military tactics in “ The Art of War” by Sun Tzu. This includes tactics pertaining to positioning, deception and, military strength. In “The Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu” Emperor Gaozu is challenged with becoming the first Emperor to have his armies be the first across the Pass into Guanzhong. Emperor Gaozu succeeds at accomplishing this task due to his great military strategies that seem to work much more efficiently than King …show more content…
For starters in the text ( but it is debatable if this is valid in real life” Gaozu is seen as very virtuous and kind, something that Sun Tzu makes very clear all rulers should be when making military decisions Keep in mind that one of the five determining factors is the Way. And in the text Gaozu is perceived to follow the Way in its entirety being a kind and giving man in many instances. This adds to Sun Tzu’s obvious influence on Emperor Gaozu’s tactics in War. So when, when Emperor Gaozu finally decided to reclaim his aken territory , it is important to note that because he follows the way he has the mandate of heaven on his side, something Sun Tzu would say works in Gaozu’s favor. So when Gaozu finally decides to march back east to attack Xinag Yu. The majority of his ideas are successful (this would be due to him having the mandate of heaven). So with the combination of the way of heaven with Sun Tzu’s renowned military tactics it is safe to say Gaozu seizes the area beyond the pass successfully. The way he does this is by suing a few of Sun Tzus aforementioned tactics. But the main tactic used by Gaozu that ultimately defeats Xinag Yu is one of Sun Tzu’s most important tactics, which is attack the enemy when weak(1). Gaozu figures that the best time to attack Xiang Yu and his army is when Xinang Yu has to leave the western Chu in order to suppress a rebellion in the Qi
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” (BAM, 2010, p.20) These words were first written down over 2,400 years ago by a Chinese general named Sun Tzu in his famous military strategy treatise known today as The Art of War. These words, in fact the entire book, are just as valid today as they were during Sun Tzu’s lifetime. He was one of the first truly visionary and ethical military leaders in the world. Despite the fact that there is not much known about Sun Tzu today other than his writings, in this essay, I intend to extract his essence from his treatise to prove he was a visionary leader. I will then continue to prove he was also an ethical leader. Finally, I will finish by detailing how his seminal work has inspired me to self-reflect on how I can be a better visionary and ethical leader in the 21st Century Air Force. So, what exactly is a ‘visionary’ leader?
Mo Tzu lived and taught during the tumultuous Period of Warring States (475-221 BCE) in ancient China. He believed people should only do that which benefits themselves or others and that the civil wars that were taking place were a waste of both time and resources. At the time, Mo Tzu’s teachings were very controversial and differed from the popular belief...
Neglect and painful insecurity tainted both Truman Capote and Perry Smith’s childhoods, resulting in common fears and experiences that Capote translates in his writing of In Cold Blood. Truman Capote lacked a stable childhood upbringing, internalizing a fear of abandonment, which he echoes through Perry Smith. Capote demonstrates an intense emotional attachment with one of the killers, Smith. Throughout the five years in which Capote worked on his project, he thoroughly examined Smith and ultimately befriended him because Smith’s troubled childhood that resembled his own. Capote’s parents, Lillie Mae and Arch, divorced at a young age, leaving Capote in the care of others, and as a result, he spent much of his childhood in Monroeville, Alabama (Truman Capote about the Author). This abandonment by his parents haunted Capote and allowed others to harass him for his effeminate ways. Although he found comfort in his lifelong friend Harper Lee, his relatives and friends in Alabama failed Capote by not providing the love and understanding of a mother and father (Truman Capote Biography). Smith’s youth, although more severe, paralleled Capote’s. In Smith’s childhood, “there was evidence of severe emotional deprivation…This deprivation may have involved prolonged or recurrent absence of one or both parents, a chaotic family life in which the parents were unknown, or an outright rejection of the child by one or both parents with the child being raised by others'" (Capote 191). Smith’s abandonment was due to his mother who “turned out to be a disgraceful drunkard” (Capote 78), and his father who deserted Smith after his separation. Because of his parents’ neglect, orphanages became the primary caretake...
The Art of War is a treatise written in Ancient China that discusses the most and least effective military strategies for successful warfare according to Sun Tzu, a military general whose existence is still debated to this day. While not every military commander in the history of warfare has read it, the strategies provided can be used as a way to assess said commanders and the effectiveness of their campaigns. In Sun Tzu 's own words, “The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismissed!”1 This paper will discuss various iconic battles throughout history and how closely the leading commanders of each army followed the advice of Sun Tzu. Despite the fact that Sun Tzu lived hundreds of years before many of these battles took place, the
Tzu, Sun. The Art of War. Ed. Shawn Connors. Trans. Lionel Giles. Classic Collector's ed.
"The Internet Classics Archive | The Art of War by Sun Tzu." The Internet Classics Archive | The Art of War by Sun Tzu. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. .
Zhang, Shu Guang. Mao's Military Romanticism: China and the Korean War, 1950-1953. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1995.
The way the Chinese have conceived of their past, and of themselves, was profoundly shaped by the Shiji. The Shiji, or Historical Records, was a monumental work composed of 130 chapters written during the Han dynasty by Sima Qian. It presented the past from several perspectives: a chronological narrative of political events; topical accounts of key institutions; and biographies of individuals that Qian saw as important. The political narrative began with the Yellow Lord and continued through the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, down to the Han dynasty and Emperor Wudi of Sima Qian's day. Chronological charts with genealogical data and information on government posts came next, such as the calendar, state ritual, the construction of waterworks, and government finance. Thirty chapters were devoted to the ruling houses of the states of the Zhou period, recounting the reigns of successive rulers. These were supplemented by seventy chapters on other important individuals, including not only great officials and generals, but also people not associated with the government, both the famous and infamous including: philosophers, poets, merchants, magicians, and even rebels. Even non-Han people along the frontiers were described in narrative accounts. The emergence of a unified empire out of the warring States of pre-Qin China, the consolidation of the former Han, and the relations between the empire and the surrounding people groups were major themes in the Shiji. Qian’s records also offer insights through his role as a historian and his attempt to resolve a life changing experience he distinguished in his own life. Equally important, Sima Qian, by writing so well on so much, had a profound impact on Chinese thinking about government, pers...
The Tang and Song Dynasties are both pertinent to China’s development. During the Tang period, which is also considered the “Golden Age”, art and literature was embraced and thrived. During the Song Dynasties, many technical inventions allowed China to grow as a nation, and emerge as one of the greatest nations in the medieval world. Both dynasties played a key role in the history of China.
Two and a half millennia ago lived Sun Tzu, possibly the greatest military mind in the history of the world. Sun Tzu was a Chinese philosopher, but that in no way means that his method of thought is applicable only in the East. Twenty-five hundred years after writing, Sun Tzu’s book, The Art of War remains the most important treatise ever written on military strategy. Is it though? Can Sun Tzu’s tactics still be applied to modern military operations, when warfare has changed so much since? At time of writing, Chinese forces were still using weapons like the Qiang (spear) and Ji (halberd). These primarily close-ranged bladed weapons bear no semblance to modern firearms or high explosives whatsoever. In the last century especially, the technology of war has advanced so rapidly that on the surface, it would seem at first like there are practically no similarities between war in the fifth century B.C.E. and war in twenty-first century C.E. After all this time, can The Art of War still hold up, or has it gone the way of chariots and archers?
Sun Tzu was a Chinese military general but most importantly a philosopher that lived in the 6th century BC. He is the author of The Art of War, a book about military strategy. The Art of war contains thirteen chapters all delivering keys to military strategy for success. It is a famous work of art that is used nowadays in many fields including business, sport and diplomacy. Business leaders develop strategies inspired form Sun Tzu ideas to reach their goals.
The Battle for Shanghai made news around the world at the time, and may very well have helped to set the stage for World War II. In the following essay I will discuss the events leading up to the Battle of Shanghai, and how the war impacted the lives of the residents. I will also compare the strategies and weaponry used by the warring militaries and the role they played in deciding the outcome of the battle.
Moreover, the reformers were too idealistic and had not real understanding of power politics. Kang and Liang were southern scholars who had no political experience. They didn’t understand the political intricacies of the metropolitan government, thus they were easily defeated when Tuan Shi-kai betrayed them. Guangxu had no actual power also, or he wouldn’t have asked Yuan for help.
The second chapter, The Text, of Griffith’s study focuses on the text itself. There has been debate about how many chapters were originally in “The Art of War”: Eighty-Two or Thirteen. (p. 13) Griffith gives a sound theory that the current thirteen chapters were the only writings. Based on copywriting errors, the eighty-two chapters were probably written into thirteen categories (or chapters) while trying to transcribe written work onto paper from silk or wood. Griffith also asserts that the text was used for entry-level war fighting studies in early Chinese military academies.
Tzu, Sun. The Art of War. Trans. Thomas F. Cleary. Boston, MA: Shambhala, 2005. Print.