The Art of War

510 Sun Tzu enters the service of Ho Lu.
506 The forty-year peace brokered by the state of Sun in 546 B.C. is broken by the state of Wu, which
was not part of the peace agreement.
500 To defend against marauding barbarians from the north, the northern Chinese states begin
building walls that are later connected to form the Great Wall of China.
496 King Ho Lu dies of wounds sustained in battle. Although Sun Tzu’s death is never confirmed, it is
assumed he did not outlive the king.
482 Wu gains power and becomes the dominant state in ancient China.
479 Confucius dies, leaving many followers who spread his teachings about the proper management
of society, based on sympathy or “human-heartedness.”
472 The state of Wu is defeated by the upstart state of Yue.
c.403 The Eastern Chou Dynasty’s Warring States period begins; it is characterized by a power
struggle between the large states of China, each trying to gain control over the entire area. The

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Warring States period will last until the end of the Chou Dynasty, about 221 B.C.
c.380 Sun Pin, a descendant of Sun Tzu, is born. Sun Pin is the supposed author of The Lost Art of
War, which is considered a companion piece to The Art of War. Sun Pin will achieve great fame as a
general, and his writings will build on ideas and tactics found in Sun Tzu’s seminal work.
221 B.C. China is unified under the harsh rule of Ch’in Shih Huang-ti. The Chou Dynasty ends and the
Ch’in Dynasty begins. Bureaucratic government is established, and a written language is standardized.
Roads and canals are built, as is much of the Great Wall.
91 The Shih Chi (Historical Records), the first known history of China, is completed. It includes one
of two ancient biographies of Sun Tzu.