Xiaohai was born August 1st 1967 in Beijing China. Between 1982 and 1986 he studied painting at the Beijing Arts and Crafts School, and went on to gain a bachelor degree from the Central Arts and Craft College, of which his graduation was kept to be permanently displayed. By 1992, Xiaohai was teaching in the Arts and crafts department of the Red Flag University, and the year after, was commissioned to design and execute the Fresco of the Bodhisattva Temple in South America. However, Xiaohai’s passions lay with painting, so in 1995 he took a refresher course in the Traditional Chinese Painting Department of the central Arts and Crafts College. In 1996, ‘Tibetan Girl and Female’ was exhibited at the prolific China Art Exhibition Gallery, tragedy struck, when in September of that year, Xiaohai was seriously hurt and paralysed in an accident while out sketching.
In 2001 Xiaohai designed a series of watercolours for his show Quietly Awaken that were displayed in America. Xiaohai continues to live and work in China, where his works are publicly and privately displayed around the world.