Whether there ever was such a person as Lao Tzu is not certain, but that the Tao Te Ching has been one of the most important texts in Chinese culture for over 2000 years is beyond question. In recent years, its influence outside China has grown enormously and it is now probably the best known Chinese text in the West. In this entirely new translation, the Tao Te Ching is revealed in its full glory as not so much a single work as a vivid collection of ancient sayings and commentaries which together light the way to a deeper understanding of both the self and the world. The authors describe the Tao Te Ching as a string of pearls -- individual and separate, yet with an overall effect of beauty and with a pattern which unites them -- which speaks across the centuries and between cultures and people.
