In 1977, Tu Xuxin was born into an intellectual family. His father graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University and his mother was a doctor at a tertiary hospital in Jinhua. From his teenage years to young adulthood, he was always one of the best among his peers. In 1995, after graduating from high school, he was admitted to Tsinghua University's Department of Hydraulic Engineering without taking the entrance exam. In 2001, he received a master’s degree in hydraulic and hydroelectric architectural engineering and law. Before "9/11", he smoothly obtained a visa and attended Northwestern University's Civil Engineering Department in the United States on a full scholarship. Six years later, he received his Ph.D. and stayed for two years to conduct postdoctoral research. In June 2009, he was hired by Zhejiang University, but committed suicide on September 17th, at the age of 32.