A Word from the Editor, Victor Ying, M.S.Ed.

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   My debut into the world of editing began years ago when my father, Eugene Ying, developed a new and revolutionary translation methodology that addressed the problems plaguing countless English translations of classic Chinese literature. Eugene, who had read the Chinese versions of all four of the “Great Classic Novels of China”, the controversial novel Plum Blossoms in a Golden Vase, Journey of the Lamer, and Scholarly Journal in his youth, perused every English translation of these novels at a large New York library, and realized that they all contained hundreds of similar-sounding Chinese names that would often even confuse native Chinese speakers like himself, as well as numerous translation errors and other inaccuracies. Hence, a new, revolutionary translation methodology that resolved all of these issues was born, resulting in the most accurate and reader-friendly English translations of the seven great classic novels of China.

For as long as he can remember, Eugene has always enjoyed reading classic Chinese literature. From 1974 to 2007, Eugene was a Senior Technical Staff Member of IBM Corp., and from 2008 to 2015, he was a Senior Software Developer of Fiserv Inc. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees from Cornell University in 1972 and 1973, respectively. He has found that his 40 years of experience in engineering has helped him translate classic Chinese literature in a very systematic manner.

Victor is a certified NYC public school teacher who received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University, and his Master of Science in Education degree under the NYC Teaching Fellows Program. As a U.S. Chess Federation correspondence Chess Master, Victor’s past chess achievements include becoming a 3-time NY State Scholastic Chess Champion, and being rated #1 in the U.S. for his age group when he was 12 years old. A 30-year practitioner of martial arts, he is also a Chinese Martial Arts Sifu who teaches Kung Fu and Tai Chi, and a Tae Kwon Do Master (4th Degree Black Belt from Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters). In addition to chess and martial arts, music has also been an important part of Victor's life. He is a classically trained pianist who studied composition and piano at Cornell University. Victor has found that his passion for writing and poetry, diverse educational background, meticulousness developed from studying chess and music, and understanding of martial arts have helped him as an editor of translated classic Chinese literature.