From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s he shared numerous international titles with his regular partner Tian Bingyi.

They were contemporaries and rivals of the famous Korean pair Park Joo-bong and Kim Moon-soo, largely dividing badminton's biggest doubles events between them for about eight seasons.

Late in their partnership they won a bronze medal in men's doubles at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

As the Chinese badminton women's doubles coach during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, his players were banned from competition for "tanking" their match against South Korea, who won the match but were also banned similarly[4] (as were the Indonesian women's doubles team).

Following the conclusion of the Rio Olympics, where China won two gold medals, he stood down in 2017.