Laozi's birthday commemorated in Lingbao

People in traditional dress attend the ceremony to commemorate Laozi, one of China's most influential philosophers. [Photo/ismx.cn]

A ceremony commemorating the 2,589th anniversary of the birth of Chinese sage Laozi officially began in Hangu Pass in Lingbao, Sanmenxia, Henan province on March 31.

Laozi lived during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and was one of China's most influential philosophers as well as the founder of philosophical Taoism.

More than 10,000 people recite the Taoist classic text Tao Te Ching in front of the statue of Laozi at Hangu Pass in Sanmenxia, Henan province, on Mar 31. [Photo/ismx.cn]

Hangu Pass is believed to be the place of origin of Tao Te Ching, or Dao De Jing, a classic Taoist text written by Laozi around the sixth century BC.

Participants paid tribute to the ancient philosopher by laying flowers and bowing to his statue.

People pay respect to Laozi during a memorial ceremony for his 2,589th birthday at Hangu Pass in Lingbao county, Sanmenxia on March 31. [Photo/ismx.cn]

The ceremony also celebrated the opening of an educational base for primary and middle school students in Henan province and the launching of Tao Te Ching reading sessions.

The three-day event lasted until April 1, gathering hundreds of Taoists and scholars from home and abroad to discuss Tao Te Ching and help people better understand its cultural significance.