Taishang Laojun believed to be the true incarnation of the spiritual philosopher Laozi, he was already identified as a personification of the Tao as early as the beginning of the Later Han dynasty. According to the
Daozang, Taishang Laojun had manifested many various incarnations to teach living beings, and Laozi is one of his incarnations. According to the biographies of Laozi collected by
Ge Hong in the
Biographies of the Immortals (), Laozi is said to have been born before Heaven and Earth, after 72 years' stay in his mother's womb. He was born under a plum tree with the ability to speak, and took his surname "Li" after the tree. According to the
Inscription in Honor of Laozi, written by
Bian Shao, Prime Minister of
Chen, in the eighth year of the Yanxi era of the
Eastern Han dynasty, Laozi came out of the Vital Breath of Chaos, and is as eternal as the three lights of the Sun, Moon and Stars. During the
Tang dynasty, the royal family taking Laozi as its ancestor, worshiped him and honored him with many noble titles. Although he is ranked below the other two pure ones, he is mentioned in Taoist religious texts more often than the other two. Before he served as an advisor to the
Jade Emperor or attending Peach Banquets, he lives in the Great Pure Heaven (Taiqing). His manifestation anniversary falls on the 15th day of 2nd month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Daode Tianzun was thought to be able to control what happens in the
future. == Festival ==