Louis Cha was born Cha Leung-yung in Haining, China on March 10, 1924. He graduated from Soochow University's law school in 1948. He worked as a journalist and translator for the newspaper Ta Kung Pao. He later became a film critic and editor for The New Evening Post in Hong Kong. In 1959, he established his own newspaper Ming Pao Daily News. He stepped down as chairman of the Ming Pao Enterprise Corporation in 1993. He wrote novels under the pen name Jin Yong. From 1955 to 1972, he wrote 14 novels including The Book and the Sword and Legends of the Condor Heroes trilogy. His novels inspired numerous film, television, and video game adaptations. He died of organ failure on October 30, 2018 at the age of 94.