Zhuang Zhou was born around 369 BCE in a town called Meng, in the state of Song, where he worked as a minor town official. Zhuang made himself well acquainted with all the literature of his time, but preferred the views of Laozi; and ranked himself among his followers. He wrote stories to satirize and expose the disciples of Confucius, and clearly exhibit the sentiments of Lao. These were collected in the Zhuangzi, which contains stories and anecdotes that exemplify the carefree nature of the ideal Taoist sage. Zhuang died in 286 BCE.