Taoist thought down the centuries

Taoism, also known as Daoism, is a religion with roots stretching back thousands of years. It grew out of a number of religious and philosophical traditions in ancient China.

Lao Tze (571-471 BC) is often identified as the religion's founding father. According to his philosophical work Tao De Ching, everything in the universe is born from emptiness, and a balance must be struck between humanity and the natural world.

Another foundation text is the Zhuangzi, an ancient collection of anecdotes and fables credited to the philosopher Zhuang Zhou (369-286 BC), which stresses spontaneity of action and freedom from the human world and its conventions.