Wisdom of Sun Tzu still relevant  

孙子兵法全球行：欧洲学者称其是全球商界的“圣经”

欧洲许多企业家，如财富500强的老总们，惊喜地发现《孙子兵法》是赢得当今激烈商战的强大武器，大部分欧洲人了解这部战争的艺术是因为它能够在商业和金融等现代生活领域得到应用。许多欧洲商人用孙子的东方智慧与谋略，结合当代西方的理念和管理，更多地应用到诸多商业领域。

ECNS — The Art of War, an ancient Chinese book on military strategy and business, is being widely used by modern-day corporate warriors in Europe on the business battlefield, according to reports on Thursday.

The book, written by Sun Tzu, has long been considered a tactical guide applicable not only to military combat but to politics, social navigation and business.

The wisdom of Sun Tzu has been used as a reference in more than a dozen business books in Britain.

An Italian version of The Art of War said in its introduction that the strategies, predating the teachings of Jesus by nearly 300 years, is a collection of all military wisdom. It has exerted its influence for many centuries and is used in business management worldwide.

European scholars argue that the Western world sees the book as a bible on the business battlefield, for its tactical wisdom and Oriental insights into battle strategy are still relevant today, and easily adaptable to the business world, such as enterprise management, strategic investment, capital operation, business negotiation, and marketing management.

Stephen Selby, a British scholar and former director of the Intellectual Property Department of Hong Kong, said the tactical wisdom in the book has already spread beyond military battlefields and extends to cover all aspects of business.

Sun Tzu's insights on battle strategy teach businessmen how to win in the global marketplace. In this sense, Sun Tzu can well be called the "Father of Wisdom Management," Selby said.

Currently, the global trend of applying this tactical guide in the economic field will be of great significance to transforming the way people think,said Bronislav Vinogrodsky, managing director and editor-in-chief of the Russian edition of the journal China.

Sun Tzu is very popular among Europeans, and his book has a wide readership in Germany, said a sinologist at the University of Cologne. It not only has a great influence on military and business, but also on modern society. People can draw philosophical wisdom and managerial concepts from this ancient military treatise.

As some European scholars put it, the long-lasting appeal of The Art of War lies in the fact that the book sums up the finest tactical wisdom of ancient China and contains a set of widely applicable rules, principles and truths. In this sense, The Art of War not only belongs to China, but also to the world as well.