He was a consultant with the World Bank and worked with the governments of Alberta, Manitoba and British Columbia.
He also operated a vineyard; had three ranches in Alberta and British Columbia where he raised pure-bred black angus cattle; ran three racehorse transport companies in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec; and formed the Hertz Truck Rental franchise in Edmonton.
Hu was a well-regarded horseman and competed in many rodeos with his horse Docs Twister.
He defeated Progressive Conservative (PC) incumbent Terry Nugent by 5,846 votes amidst "Trudeaumania", the wave of popularity that followed the then-new Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau.
He attempted a comeback at Edmonton West in 1980, but he lost to long-serving PC MP Marcel Lambert by 8,731 votes.