She graduated from the Southwest University of Political Science & Law with a degree in philosophy, and joined the Chinese Communist Party in February 1976.
She also has a master's degree in the history of Chinese legal thought.
In June 2010, she was named the Deputy Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (minister-level).
[1] In April 2017, Hu was named Auditor General of the People's Republic of China, succeeding Liu Jiayi, becoming the first female to hold the position.
In June 2020, Hu was replaced by Hou Kai and was appointed as one of the deputy directors of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Population, Resources and Environment Committee.