Born in Holland in 1920 and graduated from the University of Leyden, one of the strongholds of European sinology, Piet van der Loon transferred to teach at Cambridge University shortly thereafter.
一九二○年生於荷蘭，畢業於歐洲漢學重鎮之一﹘﹘萊登大學，龍彼得旋即轉往劍橋任教。