René Goldman was born in Luxembourg on March 25, 1934. After the war, he lived in children?s homes in Paris for five years, after which he studied in Poland for three years. In 1953, René immigrated to Beijing, studying Chinese language, literature and history for five years. In 1960, he pursued graduate studies in the Department of History and the East Asian Institute at Columbia University; he then accepted a position on the faculty of the University of British Columbia, where he completed his post-graduate studies and taught courses in Chinese history. René Goldman lives with his wife, Terry, in Summerland, BC.