Zhu was born in September 1957 in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province. He joined the workforce in July 1974 and became a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in June 1976. His early career included work as a rural teacher and commune worker before serving as a soldier and squad leader in the Jinan Military Region from December 1976 to September 1978. From 1978 to 1982, Zhu studied political education at Liaocheng Teachers College. After graduation, he served in the Qingdao Garrison District of the Jinan Military Region and later taught philosophy and economics at the Nanjing Army Command Academy. In 1988, he transferred to the Huai'an Municipal Party Committee Publicity Department as a secretary.[3]
In 1990, Zhu began working in the General Office of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, where he advanced from assistant secretary to deputy division-level secretary. He subsequently served in the State Economic and Trade Commission, becoming deputy director of the Enterprise Reform Department in 1999. During this period, he also studied abroad at Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands, earning a Master of Business Administration degree.[4] From 2001 to 2007, Zhu served in the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology, rising from deputy director to director and CCP committee secretary. He also completed doctoral studies in business administration at Nanjing University and attended a senior training program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.[1]
In 2011, Zhu was appointed CCP Deputy Committee Secretary of Wuxi, later serving as Acting Mayor and then Mayor.[3] In 2013, he became Party Secretary of Yancheng, also holding concurrent posts as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Yancheng Municipal People's Congress.[5]
In September 2016, Zhu was appointed chairman and Party Secretary of Jiangsu Guoxin Asset Management Group, a major state-owned enterprise in Jiangsu Province. He held the position until September 2017, when he retired from active political life.[6]
Zhu was a delegate to the 12th National People's Congress, a member of the 11th and 12th Jiangsu Provincial Committees of the CCP, and a delegate to the 11th and 12th Jiangsu Provincial People's Congresses.[7] He also served as a member of the Wuxi Municipal Party Committee and the Yancheng Municipal People's Congress.[8]