Classics of the Ages (The Seven Military Classics)

Author: Tan Guoqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: Thousands of years of Chinese history have nurtured numerous brilliant military strategists, politicians, strategists, and masters of diplomacy. Chinese military strategy is vast, profound, and deeply admired by the world. The world's first military strategy series——《Wujing Qiushi (Seven Military Classics of the State) is the highest classic of Chinese military strategy. It encompasses the essence of seven ancient military strategies, integrating military tactics, political tactics, wisdom of talent, leadership cultivation, diplomatic maneuvering, and persuasive speaking. It is considered the most authoritative and representative military strategy of ancient times, regarded as "the strategy of strategies." Truly a treasure of China, a pride of the nation, and a great legacy of the world.
The Wujing Qiushi was compiled in the fourth month of the third year of Emperor Shenzong's Yuanfeng era in the Song Dynasty, which is April 1080 in the Common Era. The Supervising Secretary of the Imperial Academy, Zhu Fu, and the Doctor of Military Studies, He Qufei, were appointed by imperial decree to organize and proofread military strategies from previous generations. Sifting through the sand to find the gold, the credit goes to the unsung heroes, while those who achieved fame are the shining stars of military strategy. Ultimately, seven works were selected—The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Art of War by Wu Tzu, The Methods of the Marquis of Sima, The Wuliangzi by Yu Liezi, The Six Stratagems, The Three Stratagems, and The Questions and Answers between Emperor Taizong and Li Hui Gong—and compiled into a book, which was published to the world.
Since then, it has been repeatedly printed and copied, spreading endlessly, becoming revered by generations of military strategists and serving as a crystallization of human life-and-death struggles over millennia, as well as a treasure trove of strategic planning.