Born in Hanzhong, Shaanxi province, in 1952, He was a sent-down youth during the Cultural Revolution and later worked as a factory worker.
After the resumption of the National College Entrance Exams, He was admitted to Beijing Normal University.
By 1989, he became a leader on the party-building focus group of the Central Policy Research Office.
In June 2000, He was named deputy chief of the Policy Research Office, a role in which he served until 2013.
He claimed that China’s development under Xi’s leadership has "transcended national and geographic boundaries" with "global historical significance.