His grandfather Zhang Mingqi was the last Viceroy of Liangguang from April 14 to November 8, 1911, in the Qing Empire.

His maternal grandfather Long Jiguang (1867–1925) was a general of the late Qing and early Republican period of China.

In 1948, during the Chinese Civil War, he pursued advanced studies in the United States, earning a master's degree in chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1950.

He was elected a fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in 1992 and of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2007.

He was also a Standing Committee member of the 8th and 9th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.