 He was born in Xiangtan, Hunan in 1909 and became interested in music from an early age, learning to play several traditional instruments.He graduated from Changsha Chang Jun Secondary School in Changsha, and studied music at the Shanghai Music Training School (now the Shanghai Conservatory of Music).In 1931 or 1932 he joined the Leftist Dramatic League in Shanghai, and he joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1935.