Shi Zongyuan, an ethnic Hui and native of Baoding, Hebei Province, was born in July 1946. He graduated from Northwest University for Nationalities in 1968 and joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in May 1979.

1968-1980: Held a series of posts in Hezheng County government, Gansu Province.

1981-1984: Deputy county governor, county governor and deputy secretary of the CPC Hezheng County Committee.

1984-1988: Deputy head and deputy secretary of the CPC Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefectural Committee.

1988-1993: Secretary of the CPC Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefectural Committee, member and standing committee member of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee.

1993-1998: Standing committee member of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee, director of Publicity Department of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee.

1998-2000: Member of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee, director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee, and vice president of the Party School of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee.

May 2000: Deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee.

October 2000-2005: Director of the General Administration of Press and Publication, director of the National Copyright Administration.

December 2005: Secretary of the CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee.

He was an alternate member of the 14th and 15th CPC Central Committee, and is a member of the 16th CPC Central Committee.