Confucius - the Latinized name of K'ung Fu-tzu (Great Master K'ung) - was a descendant of a branch of the Shang dynasty that ruled China from around 1122 BCE to 221 BCE. He was born around 551 BCE in what is now the province of Shantung in northeastern China. He worked in a number of roles before becoming a teacher. Around 498 BCE, he began a long journey throughout eastern China accompanied by several of his disciples, during which he developed his ideas on philosophy and the art of government, as well as teaching. He acquired a large following which has become known as the school of Ju (Confucianism). Confucius died in 479 BCE. James Trapp is the author of Chinese Characters: The Art and Meaning of Hanzi , Chinese Proverbs and also has translated a bestselling new multilingual edition of Sun Tzu's The Art of War . A Chinese language graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, he teaches Mandarin and was previously an Education Officer on the China Collection at the British Museum.