... and how he came to write the Tao Te Ching. According to the Shiji, a biography of Laozi written by Sima Qian, Lao was a native in the Southern state in the Zhou Dynasty called Chu. His name originally was Li Er and he was the keeper of archival records. It is said that he advised Confucius on ritual matters, as Laozi was ... his elder. He had lived in the Zhou Dynasty for a long time and when it started to decline. He decided to leave, heading west. As he got to the Northwest border, which then separated China from the outside ... ...

• Word Count: 1330
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School