American prisons actually banned this Chinese masterpiece?
Author: Positive Solution
This article is authorized to be reprinted from: Zhengjie Bureau (WeChat ID: zhengjieclub)
The full text has a total of 2123 words | 11 minutes to read
In the past two days, many media outlets around the world have reported an incredible news:
China's "The Art of War" is listed as a banned book by the American prison system!
The Associated Press, ABC, Fox TV, The Guardian, and even India's New Delhi TV were reporting the news.
On foreign social media, netizens are also confused: How did the famous Chinese novel "The Art of War" become a banned book?
It is said that there are two main reasons for banning books in American prisons: safety and pornography.
But the question is, what does The Art of War have to do with these two reasons?
Is it because they are afraid that the prisoners in the prison will learn the "Art of War" and rebel together?
Foreign media reports
Although everyone was confused, it led to an interesting topic:
The Art of War, written 2,500 years ago in China, has had a huge influence abroad.
Some Chinese netizens commented that this ban also shows that "The Art of War" has been added to the White House selection.
Everyone knows that "The Art of War" was written by Sun Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period.
Around the time of the Tang Dynasty, the Art of War spread to Japan.
During the Edo period in Japan, more than 140 books on the Art of War were published.
For example, Vietnam, South Korea, and North Korea all introduced the Art of War in ancient times, and it is still very popular today.
For example, after 1953, more than 300 books related to the Art of War were published in South Korea alone.
"The Art of War" has been circulating in the West for nearly three or four hundred years.
In 1772 (the 37th year of Qianlong), the French missionary Amio translated The Art of War into French and published it in Paris.
This translation was not very good, but it immediately attracted a lot of attention after it was published.
The Russian version appeared in 1860.
During World War II, "The Art of War" was also used as a military teaching content by the Soviet Union, and was issued by the Academy of Military Sciences for students to study.
Germany was once a military power, but the German version of The Art of War did not appear until 1910.
Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated due to his defeat in World War I, and it is said that when he later saw "The Art of War", he regretfully said: "It's a pity that I didn't read this book 20 years ago, otherwise, why would it be here?" ”
A video made by foreign netizens about "The Art of War".
The English version of "The Art of War" was first translated from Japanese by British Royal Captain Carlthrop.
The Art of War soon spread from England to the United States.
Now, one of the most influential translations in the United States and even in the English-speaking world is that of Brigadier General Samuel J. Murphy of the United States Marine Corps. Translated by B. Griffith in 1963.
Here it is necessary to say about Griffith.
He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1929 and joined the Marine Corps.
From 1935 to 1938, he worked at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where he also learned and mastered Chinese.
During World War II, he participated in the Pacific war against Japan, such as the Battle of Kuah Island and the Battle of New Georgia, and was awarded the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Purple Heart.
After retiring, he received his Ph.D. from Oxford University, where he completed his dissertation on The Art of War.
Because he knew Chinese, had rich military experience, and had his own views on the ancient Chinese art of war, his translation was of good quality, and it also promoted the spread of "The Art of War" around the world.
His translation is used in the "Chinese Masterpieces Series" launched by UNESCO.
The cover of The Art of War, translated by Griffith
To this day, there are more than a dozen famous English translations of The Art of War.
On e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, a search at your fingertips reveals a variety of different translations.
Some translations of The Art of War on Amazon
To this day, "The Art of War" has a great influence on the military, business, and even social life in the United States.
In particular, in the field of intelligence military.
The "Art of War" pandemic in the US military circles is inseparable from the fact that the US military has suffered two big losses.
The first was the Korean War.
The second was the Vietnam War.
In the two wars, the United States was a modern armed force, but not only did it not take advantage of it on the battlefield, but also suffered a big loss.
And both wars have something to do with China.
Therefore, under the instruction of the CIA, the sinologist Fairbank took the lead and organized a large number of people to conduct in-depth research on Chinese history and culture, including "The Art of War".
In 1963, CIA Director Alan Dulles spearheaded the study of The Art of War, especially the Passage of Use.
Currently, people like Robert M. Clark, a leading representative of American intelligence scientists, have served as an electronic warfare officer and intelligence officer in the US Air Force, a senior analyst at the CIA.
He has an in-depth study of the Art of War.
To this day, "The Art of War" has become a popular reading in the US military circles.
The U.S. War Department's Command and Staff College has a dedicated display of The Art of War.
The U.S. Marine Corps included The Art of War in its Professional Reading Program (formerly known as the Commander's Reading List) for all U.S. military intelligence personnel to read.
The Art of War is also used as a teaching material in the military strategy curriculum at West Point.
U.S. Air Force Major John Boyd. Boyd) is an avid student of The Art of War and claims to be a student of Sun Tzu.
Another retired U.S. Army captain said online that when he was in military school, "The Art of War" was a one-semester compulsory course for every Army cadet, and the U.S. Army attached great importance to this book.
Moreover, he also lamented: if American politicians had read and mastered this book, then there would not have been so many wars.
The cover of a translation of The Art of War
In addition to the military field, "The Art of War" has had an impact on many aspects of Western societies such as the United States.
On the Internet, netizens can be seen everywhere discussing China's "Art of War".
Like the picture below, it is a website dedicated to "The Art of War".
There are also people who put the aphorisms on "The Art of War" with pictures and circulate them.
In many blockbuster movies and TV series in the United States, there are also scenes of "The Art of War".
Like the movie "Wall Street", "Die Another Day", "The Sopranos" and so on.
The villain Lex Luther in the American drama "Superman's New Adventure", the cold-faced FBI Mahon in "Prison Break", the erudite Dr. Brennan in the heroine of "Bone Hunting", and the girly gay boy in the youth drama "Glee" have all quoted the maxim of "The Art of War".
A few years ago, a photo circulated on the Internet: Paris Hilton, the heiress of Hilton Hotels Group, holding "The Art of War" in her hand, watching it attentively.
This may be the charm of The Art of War, which is not only the art of war, but also an encyclopedia of business warfare and management.
More than 2,000 years later, its profound teachings are still alive and well.
It quietly shows the infinite charm of Chinese culture.
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