Hu was born on August 24, 1948, to a peasant family in Huangtudian, Changde, Hunan.[6] Hu had 4 sisters and one brother. His mother was over 40 years old at the time of his birth. In total, Hu had 8 people in his family. During the Mao-era land reform, they were sent to till more than ten acres of paddy fields and mountain dry fields. In 1954, when he was 6 years old, he started elementary school, collecting firewood and herding cattle in his spare time.[6]
In early 1958, he graduated from primary school and entered Huangtudian Complete Primary School (黄土店完全小学) for senior primary school. In 1960, he graduated from high school and entered Changde County No. 2 Middle School (常德县第二中学) for junior high school. At that time, his father died. In the spring and summer of 1966, he was a senior high school graduate. Later, as an educated youth returning home, he participated in agricultural labor in his hometown. In high school, he became an active member of school activities including calligraphy and writing.[6]
In March 1968, he was conscripted into the army and served in the engineering unit of the Air Force of the Guangzhou Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. During his service, he worked with the troops in the construction of Jiuquan Dingxin Airport (酒泉鼎新机场), Inner Mongolia Tumd Left Banner Bikeqi Airport (内蒙古土默特左旗毕克齐机场), Yinchuan Helanshan Airport (银川贺兰山机场), Shaanxi Zhenchuanbao Airport (陕西镇川堡机场), and Golmud Airport (格尔木机场).[6]
In 1969, he joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) less than a year after enlisting in the army. In 1970, he became a soldier and served as a platoon leader. Later, he was transferred to the Organization Department of the Political Department of the Air Force Logistics Department of the Guangzhou Military Region as an organization officer.[6]
In 1975, Hu Changqing got married. In 1976, his eldest son Hu Wei (胡威) was born. In 1978, for family reunion, Hu Changqing was transferred to the Air Force Changsha Equipment Ordering Army Representative Office as an officer of the Political Department.[6]
In 1979, he transferred to a local job as a deputy battalion worker and served as the deputy chief of the secretarial section in the office of the Hunan Provincial Labor Department.[6]
In 1982, he passed the adult college entrance examination and entered the cadre training course of the Chinese Department of Hunan Normal University. In 1985, he obtained a college diploma.[6]
He then entered the Hunan Branch of the People's Insurance Company of China as the deputy director of the office.[6]
In 1986, he became office director of the Hunan Branch of the People's Insurance Company China. In 1987, he was valued by superiors and was transferred to Beijing, where he became deputy director of the office of the People's Insurance Company of China and presided over the office work.[6]
In 1990, he was transferred to the State Taxation Bureau under the centralized management of the Ministry of Finance as the deputy director of the office. In 1991, he became Director of the Office of the State Taxation Bureau.[6]
From 1992 to 1998, Hu purchased and used fake diplomas from Peking University to advance his political career, ultimately becoming vice governor of Jiangxi.
In 1992, Hu Changqing privately purchased a fake diploma from a person named Jiao (焦某), a staff member of the Department of Political Science and Administrative Management of Peking University who was in charge of educational affairs management. The fake diploma was a graduation certificate of the administrative management major (undergraduate) saying he studied at the Correspondence College of Peking University from 1988 to 1991. Hu then officially used this fake certificate in his personnel files.[9]
In November 1993, due to the separation of national tax and local tax, the State Taxation Bureau at the departmental level was reorganized into State Taxation Administration and upgraded to a ministerial-level unit, and the leadership of the General Administration was re-appointed. Hu Changqing was transferred from the national tax system to deputy director of the State Council Bureau of Religious Affairs.[6]
Later, Hu successively became an adjunct professor of ethnic religion and other majors in Peking University, Renmin University of China, and Minzu University of China, and an executive director of the Chinese Calligraphers Association (中国书法家协会).[6]
In August 1995, he was promoted to Assistant Governor of Jiangxi Provincial People's Government. In the second half of 1995, Hu Changqing purchased another fake Bachelor of Law degree certificate of Peking University from the same person named Jiao, who had been transferred from Peking University. In January 1998, he was promoted to Vice Governor of Jiangxi Province.[9]
