A prominent leader of the Guizhou cultural revival movement, which advocated for increased literary freedom in China, Xue was imprisoned from 1987 to 1990 and again from 1998 to 2001 on charges of attempting to overthrow the socialist system through so-called “rumormongering and slander.” He was released in July 2001 after serving three and a half years in prison and formally became a practicing Buddhist monk in 2005, dedicating his life to spiritual study and reflection.