Sheng, governor of Xinjiang, had been aligned to the Chinese Communist Party and had at first welcomed Mao Zemin, but switched allegiance after Germany invaded the Soviet Union.

In 1960, Mao Yuanxin was admitted to Tsinghua University, then transferred to the PLA Institute of Military Engineering and became politically important during the Cultural Revolution.

In Shenyang he participated in the Cultural Revolution, including leading a march of Red Guards to a military installation in the Northeast.

He changed his name to Li Shi and worked in the Shanghai Automobile Industry Quality Testing Institute as an engineer.

In October 2012, Mao Yuanxin visited Xichuan County in Henan to tour the progress of the South–North Water Transfer Project.