Lao Zi or Laozi (also known as Lao-Tzu and Lao-Tze our Old Master) was a philosopher and writer from Ancient China. He is known for being the author of the important book Tao Te Ching, for being the founder of philosophical Taoism and for being a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions.
Although he is a legendary figure, Lao Zi is generally situated around the 6th century BC He is thought to have been coeval to Confucius, but some historians believe he lived in the Warring States Period, sometime in the 5th and 4th centuries BC He is a character- key in Chinese culture: both the emperors of the Tang dynasty and the modern-day people of the surname Li consider him the founder of their lineage. Lao Zi's work has been adopted by various anti-authoritarian movements and Chinese legalism.