He studied theology and philosophy at Kaifeng Major Seminary, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1957.
[2] In December 1981, Zhu Baoyu was arrested and subsequently sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for "anti-revolutionary crime", reportedly for organizing a pilgrimage to the Sheshan Basilica.
[3][4] A member of the underground church, Zhu Baoyu was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Nanyang and consecrated with Vatican approval on March 19, 1995.
He succeeded Joseph Jin Dechen as Bishop of Nanyang in 2002, and retired in 2010.
Then aged 90, Zhu Baoyu explained he had accepted the offer in hopes of influencing the Chinese government to return Church properties expropriated during the Cultural Revolution.