China's Famous Personalities 2

Lao Zi/Lao Tzu (老子, 571 to 471 BCE), surnamed Li (李), was an ancient Chinese thinker, philosopher, writer and historian. He was the founder of Taoism School (道家学派), strongly rooted in the Doctrine of Morality. He is believed to have lived during the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋时期, 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 《道德经》, 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 (第一章：关于老子的基本信息)

Chapter 2: Lao Zi's Life and Curiosities (第二章: 老子生平与疑点重拉)

Chapter 3: Lao Zi's Birthplace (第三章: 老子籍贯)

Chapter 4: Lao Zi's Works (第四章: 老子著作)

Chapter 5: The Death of Lao Tzu and His Former Residence (第五章: 老子之死与他的故居)

Chapter 6: Taoism and Lao Tzu (第六章: 道教与老子)

Chapter 7: Lao Zi's Thoughts and Ideological Values (第七章: 老子的思想与其的思想价值)

Chapter 8: Myths and Allusions Related to Lao Zi (第八章: 与老子有关的神话、典故)

Chapter 9: What Others Think of Lao Zi? (第九章: 其他人对老子的看法) 

            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 (老子传), one of the most revered philosophers in Chinese history. The new volume in the China's Famous Personalities Series (必须了解的中国名人) 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.