Xin Deyong is a distinguished Chinese historian and a chair professor in the Department of History at Peking University. Born in August 1959, he is widely recognized as a leading authority on Chinese historical geography, traditional bibliography, and textual criticism.

He received his bachelor's degree in geography from Harbin Normal University in 1982, followed by his master's and doctoral degrees in history from Shaanxi Normal University in 1984 and 1988. Before joining Peking University in 2004, he taught at Shaanxi Normal University and worked as a research fellow at the Institute of History within the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

His primary research focuses on ancient Chinese urban geography, particularly the histories of Chang'an and Luoyang, as well as the evolution of Chinese printing techniques and rare book preservation. He is also well known for using textual analysis to re-examine traditional historical accounts. His major publications include An Examination of the Two Capitals of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Research on the History of Chinese Printing, and The Making of Emperor Wu of Han.