Guo Jinlong was born in July 1947. A native of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, with a university education background, Guo began his career in August 1969 and joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in April 1979.

He is now an alternative member of the 15th CPC Central Committee, secretary of the CPC Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee, and first secretary of the CPC Committee of the Tibet Regional Military Command.

Guo's education and work experience is as follows：

August 1964-August 1969: Nanjing University, Physics Department, majoring in acoustics; November 1980-September 1981: deputy director of the Culture and Education Bureau of Zhongxian, Sichuan Province;

September 1981-October 1983: director of the Culture and Education Bureau of Zhongxian, Sichuan Province;

October 1983-January 1985: deputy secretary of the CPC Zhongxian County Committee and magistrate of Zhongxian County;

January 1985-August 1987: deputy director of the Rural Policy Research Office of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and deputy director of the Rural Economy Committee of Sichuan;

August 1987-May 1990: deputy secretary of the CPC Leshan City Committee, Sichuan Province;

May 1990-November 1992: secretary of the CPC Leshan City Committee, Sichuan Province;

November 1992-April 1993: a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee;

April 1993-November 1993: deputy secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee;

November 1993-November 1994: deputy secretary of the CPC Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee;

November 1994-September 2000: executive deputy secretary of the CPC Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee;

Since September 2000: secretary of the CPC Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee and first secretary of the CPC Committee of the Tibet Regional Military Command.

He was appointed member, standing committee member and secretary of the CPC Anhui Provincial Committee in December 2004.

In December 2007,  he was appointed acting mayor of Beijing Municipality.

In January 2008, he was elected as mayor of Beijing Municipality.