China is one of the earliest civilizations in Asia, with a long history of dynastic rule by emperors claiming the Mandate of Heaven. During periods of warring states, Chinese writers were influenced by the political environment and events of their time, as seen in the works of Confucius and Sun Tzu. Confucius experienced poverty after his father's death and wrote about moral conduct and filial piety. Sun Tzu was a general who led a much smaller army to victory against a much larger force, and wrote The Art of War on military strategy.