Lao Tzu (Chinese: 老子, Pinyin: Lǎozǐ; also transliterated as Laozi, Lao Tse, Laotze, and in other ways) According to Chinese tradition, Lao Tzu lived in the 6th century BC, however many historians contend that Laozi actually lived in the 4th century BC, which was the period of Hundred Schools of Thought and Warring States Period. Laozi was credited with writing the seminal Taoist work, the Tao Te Ching (also known simply as the Laozi), and he was recognized as the founder of the Taoism or Daoism.