Ng Chiu Ying’s grandfather worked on a farm as a child. Because he never received much education, he eventually became a sailor on a passenger ship bound for New York. Ng Chiu Ying’s father was born in the 1910s. He attended La Salle College before studying at a local college of education where he met his wife upon graduation. Both of them eventually became teachers. Ng Chiu Ying’s parents married in the early 1940s. Ng Chiu Ying’s parents eventually had four sons and three daughters of whom Ng Chiu Ying ranks sixth, with three elder brothers and two elder and one younger sisters. Ng Chiu Ying's generations had higher academic qualification and all of them emmigrated overseas. The family’s eldest son attended Queen’s College before studying and settling in the U.S. The second eldest sister went to Ying Wa Girls’ School before being admitted to the HKU. Ng Chiu Ying’s third elder brother studied at Queen’s College and furthered his studies in the U.S. before settling in Vancouver. His fourth elder sister was educated at Maryknoll College and enrolled in the HKU. The family’s fifth eldest brother attended St. Joseph’s College and went on to study in the U.S. before moving to Vancouver. Ng Chiu Ying himself studied at St. Joseph’s College and subsequently went on to major in science at the University of Hong Kong. After graduation, he worked in various local banks. His youngest sister went to Maryknoll College and later took a degree in medicine at the HKU.