As one of the many young women who were at the time recruited to train as cadres, she enrolled in a police school in Shenyang, northeast China, and became a policewoman in Benxi, Liaoning Province in October 1954.
Working directly under top leaders such as Zhou Enlai, Li Xiannian, and Yu Qiuli, Gu earned the trust of the heavily persecuted "old guard", to whom she showed respect.
In 1973, she was elevated to deputy chair of the State Planning Commission in charge of light industry, including textiles.
[1][3] During her tenure, she focused her efforts on improving agricultural yields in the poorer northern Jiangsu, while encouraged the development of "village and township enterprises" in the south, taking advantage of its proximity to the major industrial center of Shanghai.
She visited many foreign countries, and struck deals with leading international chemical companies such as Bayer, DuPont, and Eastman to set up joint ventures in China.
[2][4] Gu Xiulian's husband is said to be a mathematician working for China's Institute of Atomic Energy Research.