Fan and

Born February 26, 1916 in a poor family in the city of Xiamen (Amoy). In January 1930 , he joined the KSMK (Chinese Communist Youth League), a member of the CPC since 1931 .

From an early age he joined the underground revolutionary movement in his native province of Fujian . In 1934, while in Shanghai , he was imprisoned and released only in August 1937. Immediately after his release, he was sent to work in Hubei Province . He was engaged in anti-Japanese propaganda in the provinces of Anhui , Hubei and other places. At different times, he held positions: a permanent member of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the CPC, head of the civil cargo transportation department, secretary of the East Hubei Special Committee, head of the political department of the 5th unit of the New Fourth Army, head of the administrative department of the Huainan Border Region (in the territories of Anhui and Jiangsu ), Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Border District, member of the Central Committee of the CPC Central China, Deputy Head of the Financial and Economic Department of the East China, Deputy Chairman of the People’s Government of Shandong Province , etc.

After the founding of the PRC, Fang Yi returned to his native places and assumed the post of deputy chairman of the People's Government of Fujian, as well as the second secretary of the provincial committee of the CCP. In 1952, he transferred to the post of vice mayor of Shanghai.