He Deguang was born in Kumming, Yunnan in 1945. He studied art at Yunnan Art Institute. Deguang also attented the Cultural Fine Art Academy in Beijing, where he focused on mural painting. In 1979, he joined the Shen She artists group founded by Jiang Tiefeng and Ting Shoakuang, and exhibited his work in the first Shen She art show. In 1980 Deguang displayed works in Hong Kong as part of the Heavy Color Movement. In 1985, he toured and studied murals in Duanhuang caves. His graduation project, "Remote Ruli Jiang," was selected as part of the national art exhibition in celebration of the 35th anniversary of PRC in Beijing.