Before his political career, Yuan was best known for his role as chief designer of the Shenzhou spacecraft, which carries Chinese taikonauts into space.

In September 1980, Yuan graduated from Beijing Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, majoring in aircraft design and applied mechanics.

In August 2014, Yuan was named a party standing committee member of the prosperous coastal Zhejiang province, then assumed the post of executive vice governor, in charge of police, religion, tax collection and national security.

[7] In April 2021, Yuan chaired another meeting of the Standing Committee, which pledged to "supervise and guide" the platform economy, including Alibaba Group.

[9] He met with Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in May 2023, where both cities pledged to increase cooperation in several areas.

[10] In August 2023, Yuan met with members of US General Joseph Stilwell's family for the 140th anniversary of his birth, saying he hoped to take the visit as an opportunity to "better promote people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States and contribute to the development of China-US relations".