Tao Teh King by Kwee Tek Hoay, page 81 (1938)

What it is

This is a cropped image of page 81 from a book titled Tao Teh King, written by Kwee Tek Hoay and published in 1938. The page shows a black-and-white line drawing of a lotus flower in bloom at the center, with two lotus buds and two large lily pads, one on each side. Thin stems extend downward. The book is a commentary on the Tao Teh King, the classic text traditionally attributed to Laozi.

Why it matters

Kwee Tek Hoay wrote this book in the 1930s, more than two thousand years after Laozi's time. His commentary shows how later writers read and presented the classic text for their own readers. The lotus drawing shows a decorative style used in the book's design. The page reveals how Laozi's ideas were carried into the twentieth century through new books.

Look closer

• Why might a book about an ancient text include decorative drawings like this lotus?
• Who was Kwee Tek Hoay writing for, and what might they have wanted to learn?
• What does one page show, and what parts of the book and its argument are missing from this image?