Born in May 1916 in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.

Graduated from the History Department of Shanghai St. John's University in 1937.

Members of the Democratic National Construction Association.

In 1937, he served as assistant manager of Wuxi Maoxin Flour Company.

In 1939, he concurrently served as director of Shanghai Hefeng Enterprise Company.

In 1943, he concurrently served as director and manager of Shanghai Sanxin Bank.

In 1945, he served as manager of Wuxi Maoxin Flour Company.

After 1950, he successively served as general manager of the general management office of Shenxin Textile Company, chairman of Evergrande Textile Co., Ltd., chairman of Shanghai Flour Industry Association, and member of the Financial and Economic Committee of the East China Administrative Committee.

In 1957, he served as deputy mayor of Shanghai and deputy chairman of the Municipal Federation of Industry and Commerce.

In 1959, he served as deputy minister of the Ministry of Textile Industry, consultant to the State Import and Export Administration Committee, and president of the China Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification.

In 1978, he served as Vice Chairman of the Fifth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

In 1979, he served as chairman and general manager of China International Trust and Investment Corporation.

From 1982 to March 2001, he served as Vice Chairman of Soong Ching Ling Foundation.

After 1982, he served as a member of the Drafting Committee of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jinan University.

In 1983, he served as vice chairman of the Sixth and Seventh National People's Congress Standing Committee. In the same year, he was elected as Chairman of the Sixth Executive Committee of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.

From December 1992 to 1993, he served as the honorary president of the first ARATS.

From March 1993 to March 1998, he served as Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China.

In March 1993, he resigned as chairman of China International Trust and Investment Corporation.

On September 9, 1996, he was elected as the honorary president of the third council of China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation.

He died in Beijing due to illness on October 26, 2005 at the age of 89.

He successively served as Vice Chairman (Deputy Chairman) and Chairman of the Sixth Executive Committee of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce from the first to the fifth session; Member and Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Democratic National Construction Association from the First to the Fourth session.

He is a representative of the first, second, third and eighth National People's Congress (Shanghai), a member of the Standing Committee of the fourth and fifth National People's Congress, a member of the second National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and a member of the Standing Committee of the third and fourth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

In 1957, he was hailed as a "red capitalist" by Vice Premier Chen Yi.

In 1979, he founded China International Trust and Investment Corporation, creating China's first window to open to the outside world.

At the end of 1986, he was named one of the world's 50 well-known entrepreneurs by the American bimonthly "Happiness". He was the first domestic entrepreneur to join the ranks of world-famous entrepreneurs after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

In December 1992, he was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of California, USA.

Amateur photography, collecting cameras, raising roses; football, especially women's football.

Father: Rong Desheng; uncle: Rong Zongjing; wife: Yang Jianqing, four daughters and one son; son: Rong Zhijian.