The Art of War played a large role in reshaping ancient China. The introduction of the text led from peace to war and eventually to the unification of China and the creation of history's most stable empire.

Strategy as a science began 2,500 years ago with the writing of The Art of War. Sun Tzu (544-496 BC) wrote the original text of The Art of War shortly before 510 BC. "Sun Tzu" means simply "Master Sun" in Chinese. His surname was Sun, but his first named was Wu (not to be confused with the state Wu of the time, a different Chinese character).