Tang Qingnian was born in Beijing. In 1984, he graduated from the Central Academy of Art and Design. He went on to serve as art critic and as vice director of the editorial department for the professional Chinese Art magazine Meishu (Art Monthly). In the mid-1980s, he was one of the first discovers, promoters and supporters of the dawning of China’s “New Wave” art movement. He was a member of the organizing committee and one of the primary exhibition coordinators for the China Avant-garde exhibition held in Beijing in February, 1989. At the time, this exhibition was the largest non-government art exhibition held in China since 1949; the exhibition was shut down twice, and became an important international news event.
Since relocating to the USA in 1991, he has been engaged with various visual creations for different media. From 2004 to 2007, he made group art show and calendar publications on Chinese zodiac with other artists for Lunar New Year Celebration, work includes painting, sand drawing, sculpture and screen printing. In 2006 he left his position as associate creative director of the advertising agency to become an independent artist.