Born in Tamsui, Taipei County, Taiwan. He spent his early childhood in Xiamen and, from the age of 13, studied abroad in mainland Japan, in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture.

In 1929, he moved to Tokyo. While studying in the Electrical Engineering Department at Musashino Higher Technical School, he studied composition under Kosaku Yamada. From 1931 to 1932, he studied composition, vocal music, and piano at the Tokyo Music School's night division. He became a member of the Yamaguchi Chorus, an exclusive singer for Columbia Records, and a member of the Fujiwara Opera Company. He was also a member of Japan's New Composers' League.

Influenced by the Russian composer Alexander Tcherepnin, he explored ethnic musical creation. In 1938, he moved to Beijing.

Awards

• Consecutively won awards in the vocal and composition categories at the Japan Music Competition.
• In 1936, his orchestral work "Taiwan Dance" won an award in the art competition section of the Berlin Olympics.