Short answers, pulled from the story.
Meng Ke, known as Mencius, was born in the state of Zou around the 371st year before the Common Era. He lived during the chaotic Warring States period and spent forty years traveling the fractured states of ancient China.
Meng Mu was Mencius's mother who took sole responsibility for raising him after his father Meng Ji died when Mencius was very young. She moved the family three times to ensure his proper development, cut her weaving to teach him about education, and corrected him regarding the Book of Rites when he entered his wife's room without announcing his presence.
Mencius argued that human nature is inherently righteous and humane, which placed him in direct opposition to his near contemporary Xunzi who believed that human nature was evil. He used the example of a child falling down a well to prove that the seeds of benevolence were already present within the human heart.
Mencius argued that it was acceptable for subjects to overthrow or even kill a ruler who ignored the people's needs and ruled harshly. He believed that a king is subordinate to the masses of people and is significant only for what one gives, not for what one takes.
Mencius advocated for free trade, low tax rates, and no taxes on imports to prevent state-run monopolies and secure benefits for the disadvantaged. He believed that taxes on property should be progressive so that families owning larger and more fertile pieces of land would pay more than families with uniform land allotments.
Mencius served as an official and scholar at the Jixia Academy in the state of Qi from 319 to 312 BC before retiring from public life. He was buried in the Cemetery of Mencius located to the northeast of Zoucheng's central urban area where a stele carried by a giant stone tortoise stands in front of his grave.