He was born in Anguo, Hebei Province. He studied in Peking University and later joined
China National Democratic Construction Association, a
united front-affiliated political party. During his 2011 interview, his associates were puzzled at his decision of not joining the
Chinese Communist Party and he explained that "the development of the country demands diversity". During his tenure as a university professor in
Shandong University in 1988, he taught with
Chen Zengjing, one of the prominent Chinese scholars in the field of
mathematical finance. His academic career became a driving force for his political career. With the capacity of being one of the vice-chairpersons of
Shandong Provincial People's Congress in 1999, This later facilitated his political activity as a member of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He is the president of the Shandong provincial branch of Peking University's alumni association. His times of teaching in tertiary educational institutions outside of China include: January 1997 — May 1997; September 2002 — December 2002) == Bibliography ==