Lao Zi/Lao Tzu (¿¿, 571 to 471 BCE), surnamed Li (¿), was an ancient Chinese thinker, philosopher, writer and historian. He was the founder of Taoism School (¿¿¿¿), strongly rooted in the Doctrine of Morality. He is believed to have lived during the Spring and Autumn Period (¿¿¿¿, 770 to 476 BCE), however, his date of birth/death and native place remain controversial. In the Tang Dynasty, he was reputed to be the ancestor of the surname Li. During the course of more than two millenniums, Lao Zi's thoughts had a profound influence on the development of Chinese philosophy. Lao Zi's handed down work, Tao-te Ching/Daode Jing ¿¿¿¿¿, a core text of Taoism, is one of the world's largest books in circulation. As such, Chinese people regard him as a highly revered cultural and historical celebrity. The book has 9 chapters in the following order:Chapter 1: Basic information about Lao Zi/Lao Tzu (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿)Chapter 2: Lao Zi's Life and Curiosities (¿¿¿: ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿)Chapter 3: Lao Zi's Birthplace (¿¿¿: ¿¿¿¿)Chapter 4: Lao Zi's Works (¿¿¿: ¿¿¿¿)Chapter 5: The Death of Lao Tzu and His Former Residence (¿¿¿: ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿)Chapter 6: Taoism and Lao Tzu (¿¿¿: ¿¿¿¿¿)Chapter 7: Lao Zi's Thoughts and Ideological Values (¿¿¿: ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿)Chapter 8: Myths and Allusions Related to Lao Zi (¿¿¿: ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿)Chapter 9: What Others Think of Lao Zi? (¿¿¿: ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) The current book volume, China's Famous Personalities 2, is a Level 2 Chinese reading practice book. It would introduce you to the life of Lao Zi (¿¿¿), one of the most revered philosophers in Chinese history. The new volume in the China's Famous Personalities Series (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) includes both the Chinese text (simplified characters) and pinyin Romanization. With about 500 unique Chinese characters, the volume would be suitable for the beginners, lower intermediate and advanced level Chinese language learners (HSK 1-6). Overall, the reading series offers you a variety of elementary level books (Level 1/2/3/4/5/6) to understand China as well as practice Chinese reading fast.