[2][3] He attended Nankai University in 1952,[3] before going to the Soviet Union to study at the Ural Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a degree in metallurgy in 1959.

[4] In 1959, in the midst of the Great Leap Forward, Guo returned to China and worked at the Shenyang Manufacturing Research Institute of the First Ministry of Machine Building.

[3] From 1978 to 1982, Guo served as deputy director and Chief Engineer of the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

[3][4] His predecessor, Guo Zhenqian (no relation), had disagreed with Guan Guangfu, the Party Secretary of Hubei, over the ambitious "Rising Abruptly" strategy, which aimed to dramatically increase the province's economic output.

[3] From 2003 to 2008, he served as Vice Chairman of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee of the 10th National People's Congress.