Xu Yongxiang (1930) was a native of Yixing, Jiangsu Province. In 1947, he studied at the Suzhou Art College. In 1949, he entered the Painting Department of the National Hangzhou Academy of Art, and in 1952 was admitted to the postgraduate class of the East China Branch of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. After graduation, he stayed on to teach in the school and served as the head of the professional teaching and research group of the affiliated middle school, the head of the teaching and research group of the oil painting department, the director of the library of the Academy of Fine Arts, and the director of the Academic Affairs Office.