Liezi

Lie Yukou, styled Liezi, was a native of Putian in the state of Zheng during the Warring States period and a pivotal figure bridging early and later Daoist thought. Legend holds that after attaining the Dao, he could ride the wind at will—gliding effortlessly, returning only after fifteen days. His philosophy, rooted in the teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, emphasized emptiness, stillness, non-action, and the supreme value of authenticity and voidness. Renowned for his austere life, he reportedly bore the marks of hunger yet refused grain offered by Zi Yang, the prime minister of Zheng, embodying the ideal of finding profound contentment in poverty and devotion to the Dao. The Liezi contains enduring parables such as 'The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains', 'The Man of Qi Who Feared the Sky Would Fall', 'Two Children Debating the Sun', and 'High Mountains and Flowing Water'. Revered across centuries, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty conferred upon him the posthumous title 'Chongxu Zhenren', and his text was elevated to canonical status as the Chongxu Zhenjing (True Scripture of Profound Emptiness); a temple continues to honour him to this day in his ancestral home of Putian.