1962 - joined Communist Party of China (CPC) in April - began working in August after graduated from the Oil Refinery Department, Beijing Petroleum Institute with major in oil refinery engineering
1988-1991 - elected as deputy mayor of Beijing
1991-1998 - served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade, Minister of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, and a member of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth CPC Central Committees
2002 - Member, 16th CPC, Central Committee, Politboro
2003 - Vice-Premier of the State Council
2003-2005 - around these years she was the Minister of Health
2004 - one of Time's 100 Most Influential People given the title as "goddess of transparency"