He joined the Chinese Communist Party in January 1970 and entered the workforce in July 1970.
He served in various posts in the Shaanxi Provincial Government before serving as leader of the Cultural Group of the Policy Research Office of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in October 1977.
He was vice-governor of Qinghai in September 1995, and held that office until October 1998, when he was appointed deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration.
In September 2002 he was promoted to become vice-minister of culture, a position he held until November 2008.
In September 2013 he became president of the newly established Palace Museum Research Institute.