Hu was born in Urad Houqi, Bayannur, Inner Mongolia in 1962 with ancestral roots in Linyi, Shandong province.

In 1992, he entered University of Tokyo to study engineering, by 1995 he had earned his doctorate and then joined the Japanese architecture firm INA.

Hu returned to China in December 1996 and became vice dean of the Department of Hydraulic Engineering at Tsinghua University and the head of the Institute of Water Resources.

In December 2008, he was elevated to party chief, the highest position at the university (equivalent in rank to a vice minister of state).

[2] On 1 April 2016, Hu was promoted to Acting Governor of Shaanxi, succeeding Lou Qinjian.