Xu Ming was born in Suzhou and received formal artistic training from both the Suzhou Art and Design Technology Institute as well as the China Academy of Art. Graduating in 1992, his professional work spans a broad range of disciplines including calligraphy and traditional Chinese shanshui (mountain-water landscape) painting. While Xu Ming's incorporation of Western painting techniques is clearly visible in the composition of his works, it never overshadows the traditional Chinese undertones of his painting style. When not producing original works of art, Xu Ming is a professor of Chinese Painting at the Suzhou Art and Design Technology Institute.