Born in Changsha, Hunan Province, China, he is a leading contemporary Chinese composer. In 1978, he entered the Composition Department of the Central Conservatory of Music, where he studied composition under Zhao Xingdao and Li Yinghai, and conducting under Li Huade. He completed his Master's degree in composition at the same conservatory. In 1986, he went to Columbia University in the United States to study under Mario Davidovsky and Chou Wen-chung, where he obtained his doctoral degree. Currently, he is active worldwide as a composer and conductor.