From 1975 to 1978, he taught at a middle school for the children of employees at a steel production firm in Urumqi, Xinjiang.

[1] Yi studied ancient Chinese literature in Wuhan University under the tutelage of Hu Guorui (胡国瑞) and graduated in 1978 with a BA.

[citation needed] In 1981, after obtaining a MA degree from Wuhan University, he became a lecturer at his alma mater.

He is currently a professor and PhD supervisor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Xiamen University's School of Humanities.

[1] Yi's academic interests include literature, art, aesthetics, psychology, anthropology and history.