Previously he served as director of the State Administration for Market Regulation.

He was an alternate member of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

After resuming the college entrance examination in 1979, he was accepted to Beijing University of Technology, majoring in electrical machines.

He was made vice mayor of Beijing in September 2012 and in April 2015 was admitted to member of the Standing Committee of the CCP Beijing Provincial Committee, the city's top authority.

On 31 May, he was named acting mayor, succeeding Liao Guoxun, who died of a sudden illness in office at the age of 59.