Daoism (or Taoism) refers usually to a set of philosophical teachings and religious practices that are considered to be rooted in a specific understanding of the Tao, developed primarily in the works of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi. Taoism has had a deep and long-lasting influence in many domains of Chinese culture and has spread widely throughout Asia. Often considered as the counterpart of mainstream Confucianism, Taoism emphasizes freedom, nature, cosmology, self-cultivation, retirement from social life and even the search for immortality. Most accounts prefer to separate two Taoisms: one being mostly philosophical, metaphysical and aesthetical, the other focused on religious practices, exorcism, alchemy and encompassing a wide set of popular superstitions