In June 1973, during the Cultural Revolution, he was forced to work in a factory in Yunxiao County, Fujian instead of going to university.

In December 2001 he was promoted to become deputy secretary-general of Guangdong Provincial Government, a department-level position he held until October 2002.

In July 2010 he was promoted again to become vice-governor of Guangdong, he remained in that position until May 2013, when he was transferred to Beijing and appointed vice minister of Finance.

[1][2] He became director of Budgetary Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress in December 2016, and served until March 2018.

On 28 September 2023, he was succeeded by Lan Fo'an as the Communist Party secretary of the Ministry of Finance.