In 1902, he was dispatched by the government of Qing dynasty China to Japan, where he studied at the Seijo School in Tokyo.

After his return to China in 1910, he was appointed to a post at the College of Physicians and has also served as deputy director of Zhejiang Hospital.

In 1926, he rose to the position of Inspector-General of the Ministry of Finance, ultimately succeeding his boss, Pan Fu, in the job, for about six months.

However, after the collapse of the Beiyang government in 1929, Tang returned to Japan, where he obtained his doctorate in medicine at the Tokyo Imperial University.

In 1939, he was appointed president of Beijing University and concurrently Chairman of the Council of East Asian Culture.