Taoism is an ancient Chinese religion, a religion of peace focused on universal balance. Religion itself, while generally surviving today, was almost completely wiped out in ancient times. The main symbol of Taoism is still visible on the global market in modern times, although it tends to have slightly different meanings than it necessarily had previously. An incredibly life-structure oriented religion, it has permeated society and is most easily understood through analysis of the historical origins and leaders of Taoism, its types and beliefs, ethics, and modern influences of Taoism on society. Taoism is one of the oldest religions in the world and its origins are quite mysterious. Formally there is no specifically known founder or founding date for Taoism; however, the individual credited with the founding of Taoism “Began […] with the revelation of […] Lao Tzu (Taoism: The Origins of Taoism), which is Buddhism. Taoism is a polytheistic religion with a wide variety of deities, and therefore shamanism became an important part of the religion, as shamans were individuals' connection with the different gods of Taoism and protection from evil spirits; thus in its initial structure a solid base of religious leaders was formed, who would help the spread of religion through education and example (Hundoble). As for specific leaders of the religious movement, Lao-Tzu, an early philosopher and poet, is believed to have written the original founding principles of Taoism in the 6th century BC, and as presented by King Shu Liu “of his work we have only the Tao-Teh-king [(early Taoist literature)] that tradition attributed to him” (Liu 377). Zhao Daoling, another important Taoist leader, was the first of the Celestial M...... half of article ......rgence 5.4 (1993): 539-544. Print.The Last Airbender. Dir. M. Night Shyamalan. Perf. Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz and Jackson Rathbone. Paramount Pictures, 2010. Film.Liu, Jiahe and Dongfang Shao. "Early Buddhism and Taoism in China (65-420 AD)." Buddhist-Christian Studies 12 (1992): 35–41. JSTOR. Network. November 7, 2013. Liu, Re Shu. “THE ORIGIN OF TAOISM”. The Monist 27.3 (1917): 376–389. Print.Mulan. Dir. Tony Bancroft. Perf. Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy and Bradley Darryl Wong. Walt Disney, 1998. Film. “Taoism: Concepts within Taoism.” BBC: Religions. BBC. N. pag., 12 November 2009. Web. 9 November 2013. "Taoism: the origins of Taoism". BBC: Religions. BBC. No. page November 12, 2009. Web. November 9, 2013. "Taoism: Taoist Ethics." BBC: Religions. BBC. No. page November 12, 2009. Web. November 11, 2013. "Taoism: What is the Tao?" BBC: Religions. BBC. No. page November 12, 2009. Web. November 9. 2013.