Today, Dai is one of the leading actors of the Opera Ensemble of The Political Department of The Chinese People's Liberation Army. His path to success has had its share of twists and turns.

In 1963, Dai was born in a village in Central China's Hebei Province. Music was an extravagant dream for him, as cultivating the land was the main occupation in his village.

Having graduated from middle school, Dai was enrolled in what's now Beijing Polytechnic College. In 1982, he graduated and went to work as a construction technician in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi Province. It wasn't the future Dai had dreamed of. Fortunately, before long he saw a glimmer of hope when  admitted into the Shanxi Song and Dance Ensemble due to his beautiful voice. However, he disappointed many in the troupe as he had learned nothing about music before and he even couldn't read musical scores. In 1984, he was sent to the Beijing-based Central Academy of Drama for further study. Hard work and natural talent, together with teaching from lots of famous opera masters in the school, laid a solid foundation for his success in the coming years. He went back to the Shanxi Song and Dance Ensemble in 1987 but returned to Beijing two years later and was allowed into the Opera Ensemble of The Political Department of The Chinese People's Liberation Army, following a difficult exam.

In conversation, Dai tends to downplay his achievements and remind himself that he has a long way to go yet.