Born in Guangdong Province, China. From 1978 to 1983, he studied composition under Du Mingxin at the Central Conservatory of Music. In 1988, he went to the Eastman School of Music in the United States to study. After returning to China in 1994, he became a professor in the Composition Department of the Central Conservatory of Music, and successively served as Vice President, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Musicians' Association, and Artistic Director of the Beijing Modern Music Festival.