LIU Yingsheng received his Master's degree from Nanjing University in 1980 and his doctorate from the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 1985. He had been a Professor at Nanjing University since 1988 before he retired in 2017. He is the Vice President of the Chinese Association of Mongolian Studies and an adviser to the government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. From 1987 to 2001, he researched at the University of Göttingen, University of Bamberg, School of Oriental and African Studies of University of London, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and University of Lisbon. From 1990 to 1992, he participated in three UNESCO-sponsored expeditions on the "Maritime Silk Road", "Grassland Silk Road" and "Nomadic/Altay Road" on behalf of China, and was then elected deputy leader and leader of the international expedition team. He has published 13 academic monographs, 3 translations, and over 180 academic papers. Besides, he has published more than 20 papers in English and German.