Born in Tianjin in 1954, the son of a famous traditional artist, Wang Li Xian  has studied art since the age of six.

As a consequence of the cultural revolution, Wang was forced to undertake his middle schooling in the countryside. He was fortunate to discover there the painting master Fu Qi who had been a colleague of his father, and he was able to continue his art studies privately.

Upon his return to Tianjin in 1975, Wang Li Xian entered the Fine Art Institute, graduating four years later. Since then he has worked full-time as a professional artist and as editor with a Fine Art Publishing company.

During three expeditions to Tibet, Qinghai and Sichuan Provinces, Wang Li Xian prepared studies for a series of oil paintings recording the present-day life of China's ethnic minorities.