Xu Guangchun was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China, in November 1944. Before he graduated from high school he went to work for the Hangzhou Daily newspaper as a reporter. He graduated from the Journalism Department of Renmin University of China in 1969 and joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1973. During this time he continued to work for local military publications, beginning in 1972 with the Anhui Production and Construction Corps, where he served as a reporter for Corps Soldiers Newspaper. In 1975 he began a seven-year stint with Xinhua News Agency's Anhui bureau. Seven years later he joined the Chinese Photographers Association and later chaired the Anhui Photojournalist Society. He was named to head Xinhua's Shanghai bureau in 1985, and the Beijing bureau in 1988.[citation needed]
Xu was very active in journalist circles in China and has published a variety of books, including the Practical Manual for Amateur Photography, which was awarded the national Golden Key Award. He was married to Han Wufeng.[citation needed]