Born in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. Quan is the descendant of Quan Ziwang, a well-known historian of the Qing Dynasty. In 1950, he studied at Hangzhou National Art School, and from 1954 to 1960, at the Lebin Academy of Fine Arts. Subsequently, he devoted himself to art education and is currently a professor of the China Academy of Fine Arts. Many well-known contemporary artists have benefited from his tutelage.