Female rower Xu Dongxiang was born on January 15, 1983 in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. She entered Shaoxing Youth Sports School in 1998, Zhejiang provincial rowing team in 1999, and the national rowing team in 2001.

She won the runner-up in lightweight women’s quadruple sculls at the Ninth National Games in 2001, and the gold medals in lightweight women’s single sculls 500m and 2000m and the silver medal in lightweight women’s single sculls 6000m at the National Rowing Spring Championships in 2002.

In 2002, she won the championship in lightweight women’s double sculls at the 14th Asian Games held in Busan.