What is Daoism and How Did it Develop over the years?

Daoism was one of China's major religions a long time ago. The main belief is learning and practicing the dao, the word dao means "way" or "path". Daoism as a religion didn’t really flourish until hundreds of years later around 100 A.D, when Daoist hermit Zhang Daoling founded a sect of Daoism known as the Way of the Celestial Matters. I can't believe it took so long for Daoism to become a major religion! Daoism grew quickly from 200-700 AD, where more rituals and practices developed. During this period, Daoism faced competition from the major religion Buddhism which came to China by traders and missionaries from India. Unlike Buddhism, Daoists do not believe that life is suffering. Daoism believes that life is generally happy but that it should be lived with balance. I think that Daoism seams like a more happy religion than Buddhism.