Born in Shanghai in 1949, ZHANG Ciyun (Peter) graduated from Jilin Normal University, PRC with a major in English and later from Stanford University in the United States with a Master’s Degree in Journalism. Since 1980, he has had extensive experience working in different news agencies in the PRC. Also, he worked in the General Office of the Ministry of Communications as an interpreter and the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality as its Deputy General Director.

An acclaimed translator, reporter and editor, Mr. Zhang has helped bring into existence four English-language newspapers on the Chinese mainland, namely, China Daily, Beijing Weekend, Shanghai Star and Shanghai Daily. He is now the Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Shanghai Daily and an executive council member of Translation Association of China. He has translated and co-translated more than a dozen books and a large amount of documents, including Strange Stories of Liao Zhai Studio and the English version of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He has also published many English and Chinese articles and theses in newspapers and magazines both in China and overseas.

Fictional or semi-fictional stories and practical concepts are like yin and yang, the two fundamental principles of ancient Chinese philosophy. In this book, we present just such yin and yang, namely, “Chinese Mythology” and the "Thirty-Six Stratagems."

The mythology here describes ancient beliefs in origins, ancestors, history and deities. On the other hand, the "Thirty-Six Stratagems" were originally a collection of strategies or practical ruses for warfare. But today, many Chinese people apply them to politics, business, sports as well as their daily life.