Traveling westwards, Laozi wrote his book and left it at Louguan.
　　His five thousand words are so concise but the connotations are most profound.
　　Reviewing his teachings, one always gains new insights.
　　His Dao is of the past, yet it is still a guide for today.

　　The Daodejing by Laozi is one of the most important carriers of traditional Chinese culture; it is a book which has more foreign-language versions than any other Chinese classic. Widely read throughout the world, it is acknowledged to rank among the great achievements of human civilization. For 2,000 years, philosophers, statesmen, strategists, writers, artists, scientists, and even common people have all learned from the Daodejing.

　　Today, globalization is bringing unprecedented change to the world. However, as mankind advances, it is facing many grave challenges. Holding spontaneity as its core tenet, the Daodejing calls on us to embrace higher values, principles and attitudes: simplicity and truth in life; a spiritual sense of calmness; an indifference to fame and fortune; valuing frugality instead of extravagance; a commitment to lead a harmonious life; a reasonable ecology of harmony between man and nature; and an orientation to be contented with oneself more than the enjoyment of objects. In the Daodejing, Laozi said:

Be content and there will be no disgrace.
Know to stop and there will be no danger.
Thus you can long endure.

　　For people of every stripe, the thoughts and wisdom incorporated in the Daodejing are significantly instructive to enable them to evaluate themselves properly, to understand the values of life, and to deal with their interpersonal relations and with their relations with society and nature.

　　Since its very beginning, Daoism has respected Laozi as its founder, and his Daodejing as its fundamental classic. Ineluctably, Daoists are responsible to develop and spread the founder’s thoughts and serve contemporary society.

　　Man can foster the Dao, and at times the Dao has its day. During recent years, relations between the Daoists of China’s mainland and the Daoists of Hong Kong have become increasingly close, and both sides have cooperated to carry out a series of large-scale activities. The year 2007 will mark the 10th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, and coincidently, at the ancient Louguan Temple in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, an inauguration ceremony will be held for the expansion of Laozi’s Preaching Platform. By synthesizing these great events, Daoists all hope to develop a vehicle that will research and spread the thoughts and wisdom in the Daodejing. And therefore it is with great pleasure that Daoists from the mainland and from Hong Kong announce that they have decided, together, to hold an International Forum on the Daodejing in Xi’an and Hong Kong in April 2007.

　　From Xi’an, an ancient capital of China with a profound culture, to Hong Kong, a vibrant modern metropolis, you will have a spiritual pilgrimage and an intellectual and cultural banquet.