He graduated from Zhengzhou University in 1964 and a year later joined the Chinese Communist Party.

In 1988 he became a member of the Standing Committee and then was appointed vice-governor of his home province.

[2] Zhaosu was then appointed a governor and served there from 1999 to 2001 and from that year till 2003 was a Communist Party Committee Secretary of Gansu.

From January 2003 to August of the same year, he served as the director of the Standing Committee of the Gansu Provincial People's Congress.

In August 2003, he served as deputy director of the 10th People's Congress Environment and Resources Protection Committee.