On 26 February 1916, Fang Yi was born in Xiamen, Fujian Province[1] to a poor family.

He was then appointed Vice Minister of Finance in September 1953, but only served for a year before being posted, together with his wife Yin Sen, to the Chinese embassy to North Vietnam in 1954.

As economic representative, he was responsible for coordinating China's assistance to North Vietnam, and served in that position until 1961.

[3] After the death of Mao Zedong and the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, Fang was appointed vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and became close to Deng Xiaoping.

[4]: 82  Fang led the team implementing it, instructing schools, factories, and communes to organize youth-focused events celebrating science and technology.

Under Deng's leadership, China established economic contacts with the Western world, and Fang led Chinese delegations to Japan and West Germany.

[3] In 1988, he was appointed a Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, serving until 1993.

[1] Fang Yi married his wife Yin Sen (殷森) in 1940, when he was fighting in Anhui Province during the Sino-Japanese War.