A group of journalists from Asian media organizations paid a visit to the Sun Tzu Cultural Park in Guangrao county of Shandong province on July 4 to catch a glimpse of the great Chinese master strategist and "military saint" Sun Tzu.

The journalists, jointly invited by the Shandong provincial government and China Daily, were taking part in a seven-day fact-finding trip to report on the latest developments in Shandong province.

Sun Tzu, known as Sun Wu or Sunwuzi, is a famous philosopher and military strategist in ancient China. He was born in Le'an (now Shandong's Guangrao county) during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Sun was later known as the "military saint" thanks to his cunning strategies.

Covering an area of 1,300 mu (86.7 hectares) and backed by a 2 billion yuan ($294 million) investment, the Sun Tzu Cultural Park is designed to promote Sun-Tzu culture and create a related cultural tourism destination. It now has become an important base to inherit and carry forward Sun-Tzu culture.

Wang Tingwen, a Sun-Tzu culture expert, holds the reporters spellbound at the Sun Tzu Cultural Park in Guangrao county of Shandong province on July 4. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

According to Wang Tingwen, a Sun-Tzu culture expert, Sun's masterpiece Sun Bin's Art of War is the most famous military work from ancient China and is widely regarded as the first book to be published on the topic of military strategy.

Wang detailed that the book was completed 2,500 years ago and was studied throughout the following dynasties. It is often referred to in the fields of politics, economics, business, culture, and diplomacy, and is regarded as one of the most outstanding items of cultural heritage in China.

Wang added that the book is famous all over the world. It has been translated into many languages, and has played an important role in military history.

The statue of Sun Tzu at Guangrao county's Sun Tzu Cultural Park. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wang's narration ravished all the reporters.

Gulayim, an editor form Uzbekistan's Jahon Information Agency, shared his story that he knew something of Sun Bin's Art of War when he was a junior-high kid and he had especially studied Sun-Tzu culture during his college years.

Gulayim was very excited to have the chance to visit Sun Tzu's hometown this time. He said that he had learned a lot from Wang's illustration.

BEH Yuen Hui, a reporter from Malaysia's The Star, praised the park as well-equipped with a dense historical culture atmosphere. He suggested that short-term training classes on Sun Tzu's philosophies could be scheduled at the park to better promote the great saint's wisdom.

As Sun's hometown, Guangrao county has been taking steps to promote Sun-Tzu culture since the 1990s. The county has set up a special cultural research institute for Sunzi, the Guangrao Sunzi Research Center. Sunzi-themed cultural squares, parks, and a military library were also built to help people learn more about Sun Tzu. The county will also infuse Sun-Tzu culture into every aspect of the city's construction.