Historical experience

Author: Nan Huaijin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-06-01
Features: Strategy, which is also known as the art of (zongheng) in ancient Chinese culture, the art of (changduan), and the art of (gouju). In modern terms, it refers to the philosophy and art of leadership. This book focuses on the elucidation of its principles and includes nearly one hundred and fifty historical stories, which are provided after the original text for readers to cross-reference between history and classics, thereby gaining insights into the principles of entrepreneurship and interpersonal relationships. To summarize historical experiences, the renowned Taiwanese scholar Nan Huaijin once systematically analyzed ancient Chinese strategy, and his lectures were published under the title 《》 (Historical Experiences) by the Lao Gu Cultural Enterprise Company in two volumes in 1985 and 1986.
The first volume selects the essence of Zhao Rui's 《》 (The Art of Short and Long), Liu Xiang's 《》 (The Strategies of the Warring States), and Han Fan's 《》 (Essays on Worldly Essentials), supplemented by historical examples of rise and fall, to discuss the principles of governing a state, utilizing people, preventing corruption, and distinguishing between virtue and treachery. The second volume provides a line-by-line commentary on 《》 (The Book of Essentials), 《》 (The Art of War by the Grand Tutor), and 《》 (The Classic of the Hidden Omen). The 《》 is said to have been passed down by the Yellow Stone Elder and was used by Zhang Liang to assist Liu Bang in establishing the Han Dynasty and defeating the Chu Kingdom. The book was instrumental in many military strategies, but after Zhang Liang's death, it went missing. In the Jin Dynasty, someone robbed Zhang Liang's tomb and discovered the book hidden beneath a jade pillow, which then resurfaced in the world. This book focuses on the elucidation of its principles and includes nearly one hundred and fifty historical stories, which are provided after the original text for readers to cross-reference between history and classics, thereby gaining insights into the principles of entrepreneurship and interpersonal relationships. In 1990, with the authorization of the author and the original publishing house, our company merged the two volumes of 《》 into one (divided into an upper and lower part) and republished it under the title 《》 (Wisdom in History) for research purposes. In 1992, it was republished under its original name. The edition now published is the newly revised version by the Lao Gu Cultural Enterprise Company in November 1995.