Fang Litian (1933–2014) was a native of Yongkang, Zhejiang, and a first-tier professor at Renmin University of China. A renowned historian of philosophy and scholar of religion, he devoted his life to the study of Chinese Buddhism and Chinese philosophy, founded the Institute of Buddhism and Religious Theory at Renmin University, and wrote such works as Buddhist Philosophy and The Essentials of Chinese Buddhist Philosophy, winning the National Book Award several times. His scholarship combined meticulous doctrinal analysis with attention to the deep interaction between Buddhist thought and Chinese cultural traditions, and exerted a profound influence on the field. The work by him included in this collection, The Wisdom of China, belongs to the culture category and addresses a broader readership, surveying the resources of wisdom in Chinese thought in a plain style and reflecting his effort to turn specialized research into public cultural narrative. Public information is limited, and further biographical details are difficult to verify.
