The Cambridge University of the U.K has awarded martial arts novelist Louis Cha, penname Jin Yong, an honorary doctorate.

Prince Philip, husband of the Queen Elizabeth II and honorary President of the Cambridge University, handed the Honorary doctorate certificate to Louis Cha in person on Wednsday.

Meanwhile, the 81-year-old novelist announced he had applied for the Masters and Doctorate degrees at Cambridge and hopes to attain the degrees within four years.

Louis Cha is widely regarded as the finest Chinese "martial arts and chivalry" writer. He has written some fifteen martial arts novels and short stories between 1955 and 1972, and has a widespread following in all Chinese-speaking areas, including Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.

His works have been translated into Korean, English, Japanese, French, Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesia and Thai. He also has many fans abroad as well, thanks to the numerous adaptations of his works made into films and television series.

(CRI.com June 23, 2005)