The original edition of this work was described in the annotated catalog <em>Dao zang mu lu xiang zhu </em>(Catalog of the Daoist canon with detailed annotations) as consisting of six juan. The work is a biography of Laozi, who was traditionally regarded as the author of <em>Dao de jing</em> and the founder of Daoism. The earliest reference to Laozi is found in <em>Shi ji</em> (The records of the grand historian), by Chinese historian Sima Qian (circa 145–86 BC). Laozi was often said to be a contemporary of Confucius (551–479 BC). The lengthy phrase, <em>Tai shang hun yuan shang de huang di </em>(The dragon-like heavenly sovereign<strong>)</strong> was an honorific title bestowed on Laozi by the Song emperor Zhenzong (reigned 998–1022). This fragmented Ming manuscript copy has two <em>juan</em> in two volumes, and it is possibly a copy that originated from the library of Prince Gaotang of the Ming dynasty, as each volume has a square-shaped seal impression of the prince’s ex libris: <em>Gaotang Wang fu tu shu</em> (Library of Prince Gaotang Mansion). A grandson of Emperor Xianzong (reigned 1465–87), Prince Gaotang (1514–83), whose real name was Zhu Houying,  was known as a scholar of encyclopedic knowledge, a calligrapher, and a collector of books who often had rare books copied. This Ming edition was copied from a Song text. The author was Jia Shanxiang, a famed Daoist, conversationalist, and zither-player of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127). A number of his works, among them <em>You long zhuan</em> (Biography of a dragon-like master), can be found in <em>Zheng zong dao zang </em>(Orthodox Daoist canon).
<br>Biography; Laozi
Jia, Shanxiang
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