After graduation, Gu became a composer for the China National Song and Dance Ensemble. Three years after her work began there, she was sent to a rural part of
Jiangsu as part of the
Chinese Cultural Revolution's labor reforms. She studied folk music during her time there, and was able to compose songs again in 1976. From 1984 to 1989 she ran the Gu Jianfen Vocal Training Center, where she trained singers like
Mao Amin,
Na Ying, and
Sun Nan. Gu is also politically active. She was a council member for several organizations, such as the
China International Culture Exchange Center,
China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification, and Beijing Municipal Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. She also served as the vice president of the
Chinese Musician's Association in 1999. She has been a member of the
Zhi Gong party since 1982, and served as a member of their 9th and 10th central committees. She was a member of the 6th
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the 8th, 9th and 10th
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. == References ==