Ling’s work focuses on supporting civil society resilience. For over 20 years Ling has been dedicated to fostering better understanding of Asia and promoting greater openness and pluralism through people-to-people exchanges, fellowships, and philanthropic support to civil society actors. Most recently he was Associate Director for East Asia at the Open Society Foundations, and led its China in the World initiative. Previously he served as Program Director at the Henry Luce Foundation, and directed various initiatives at the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. He is a trustee of Lingnan Foundation and ByKids. A native of Wuhan, China, Ling was educated in China and in the US, and has translated books on art and literature for a Chinese audience.