One of the most famous people in ancient China was a wise philosopher named Confucius (551BC-479BC). He sometimes went by the name Kong Zi. He was born in the country of Lu. At the age of three, his father died. His mother was very poor. He never had a good education. As Confucius grew up, he wanted to learn things. So he decided to teach himself. Confucius was a strange-looking boy. He got very upset, but he was also a kind boy. Confucius didn't play with other children in his free time. But he always talked to artists and musicians and learned from them.
If he met with something difficult to do, he kept trying over and over again until he learned how to do it. Later, Confucius grew up to be a very clever man and became the leader of a city. He used his knowledge and skills in a wise and fair way to govern（管理）the city. He was very popular with his people.
People today believe Confucius was the wisest man who ever lived in China. He also made many wise sayings in ancient China that helped many people learn about nature, the world and the human behavior. Many of his wise sayings are still inspiring us, such as "It is happy to receive friends coming from a far place".
