Because of financial difficulties in the family, Hua Luogeng did not receive a formal education when he was young. In middle school Hua Luogeng met a capable math teacher who recognized his talent early and encouraged him to read advanced texts. After he had graduated from middle school, he studied at a vocational school in Shanghai for a year and worked in a provision shop as a trainee.
Hua Luogeng taught himself mathematics. At the age of 19, he found a miscalculation in a paper published by a university professor, Dr Su Jiaju. Dr. Xiong Qinglai was amazed at Hua Luogeng's mathematical ability and he invited him to work as an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics at Tsinghua University. From that point on, Hua Luogeng began a life of mathematics research.
In 1936, Hua Luogeng was sent to further his studies at Cambridge University in England. He published several papers on theoretical mathematics and attracted keen attention from international academic circles. In 1938, Hua Luogeng returned to China, which was then involved in the Sino-Japanese war. He worked as a professor at the Southwest Associated University.
In 1950, Hua Luogeng began teaching at the mathematics department of Tsinghua University. In 1951, he was appointed the head of the Mathematics Institute of the China Science Academy.
