Qiu Shaoyun was born in 1931 in Tongliang County, Sichuan Province. He joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army in December 1949 and in March 1951, joined the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (CPV) to fight in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. On the way to the front line with the troops, he braved the strafing and bombing of US military aircrafts and saved a Korean child from a burning house.