Lǐ Ěr Gōng 李耳公, 50,17G

The Biography of Lao Zi

Lao Zi (approximately BC 571～ BC471) whose courtesy name was Boyang(伯阳), also called Lao Dan(老聃), and Li Er(李耳. As for why he was also named Li Er, the historical legend was closely connected with Emperor Wudi, who in a certain period of his reign objected to the Thought of Huang Lao Branch of Taoism for promoting Confucianism, he ordered to use half of two characters of”聃季” to replace Lao Zi and called Lao Zi with this name in an opposite turn, which finally was Li Er), is a world-famous philosopher and ideologist of ancient China, and the initiator of Taoism, and was crowned to be Tai Shang Lao Jun(太上老君, One of the Three Pure Ones or literally translated to be The Senior Lord of Supremacy) by Empress Wuzetian(武则天) and Emperor Minghuang of Tang Dynasty. He was born at today’s Guoyang, Anhui province.

In a book named Biography of Immortals(神仙传) written by Ge Hong(葛洪), Lao Zi’s mother was deeply influenced by the big falling stars and gave birth to Lao Zi. There is another hearsay: Lao Zi was the descendant of Pengzu(彭祖). Lao Zi’s mother was a woman with a surname of Li(理), and he was pregnant for 81 years and Lao Zi was born at the age of 81. And he saw a plum tree(李树) in the courtyard and told his mother that Li(李)would be my surname. Lao Zi was also the teacher of Confucius, and this story is available in the biography of Confucius Lao Zi once acted as the librarian of National Library of East Zhou Period. He was quite multi-oriented and talented. Confucius at once learnt from Lao Zi, which was clearly written in the Record of Grand Historian. At his old age, Lao Zi went towards west by riding an ox, and in the region of Hangu Pass, he approximately completed his famous work Tao Te Ching. Legendarily, Lao Zi taught Yin Xi(尹喜, a local general of troop) a lot, and then he continued his journey to Zhouzhi(盩厔) in Shaanxi province, and he stayed there and built a tower with wood and grass. Living in this humble tower, Lao Zi wrote out his great masterpiece. Today, there is also a Sightseeing Platform of Tower(楼观台)left, and it belongs to the key tourist site under the national protection and national 4-A tourist area. In the tourist area, there are also more than 300 steles created by scholars or celebrated figures of different generations. Historically, this place is considered to be the cradle of Chinese Taoism. After Lao Zi passed away, he was buried in Xilouguan, roughly 8 kilometers away from Sightseeing Platform of Tower. Today, the tomb of Lao Zi is available, but many people do not think this is the real tomb of Lao Zi, because according to the historical record, nobody knows where Lao Zi went and when he died, and somebody even believes Lao Zi became an immortal finally, and he did not die at all.