Haifeng Liu was born in Longyan, Fujian Province in September 1959, with ancestral home in Huian, Fujian Province (now Quangang District of Quanzhou). In 1976 after graduating from high school, he was sent to work in the rural area according to the national sending down the youth to the countryside movement. In 1977 he was enrolled to Faculty of History in Xiamen University (XMU). He has been working in Research Institute of Higher Education in XMU after receiving his Master's Degree in 1984. In 1988 he received on-job doctorate in history. Then he was promoted to professor and employed as part-time researcher in National Board of Education Examination Center in 1922. In 1993 he was sent to London University as a senior visiting scholar for half a year under the grant of China Scholarship Council. In 1994 he was named doctoral supervisor.

Since 1996 he has served as director of Research Institute of Higher Education at XMU, as well as member of National Education and Examination & Self-Taught Examination Committee. He had the special government subsidies of State Council.

In 2000 he went to Education Division of Soka University in Japan as a visiting professor for half a year. In 2002 he was awarded Young Teacher of College and University by Ministry of Education. From 2000 to 2008 he served as director of XMU Higher Education Development Research Center, which is the Liberal Arts’ Key Research Base of Ministry of Education.

From 2004 to 2018, he served as the dean of Institute of Education at XMU. From 2003 to 2015, he served as member of Education Discipline Appraisal Group of State Council Academic Degree Committee. Since 2010 he has served as member of National Academic Degree Education Steering Committee of Education Major (from 2010 to 2015 he held a concurrent post as a convener of Educational Doctoral Branch Committee).

At present, Liu serves as liberal arts’ senior professor in Zhejiang University, Yangtze River Scholars (Distinguished Professor) and director of Center for Study of Imperial Examination and Examination Research, ZJU as well as director of XMU Examination Research Center. Meanwhile he is member of National Education Advisory Committee, National Education Examination Steering Committee and Double First-Class Initiative Specialized Committee as well as president of Specialized Committee for Imperial Examination Culture of China Yanhuang Ancestors Culture Academy and vice president of Education History Branch of China Education Academy, etc.

He has also been employed as part-time professor or guest professor by over 20 universities and research institutions, including Jilin University and Nankai University, and he also serves as honorary curator of Shanghai Museum of Imperial Examination and Nanking Museum of Imperial Examination.

His research fields cover imperial examination study & college entrance examination reform and history and theories of higher education. As the initiator of imperial examination study and the representative scholar of conservative college entrance examination reform, he was nominated for Annual Cultural Figure by Sina Network in 2005.

35 of his books have been published, 14 monographs including Study of Imperial Examination, The Examination Culture in Imperial China, Theory of College Entrance Examination Reform, History and Theories of Higher Education, Collected Speeches of Liu Haifeng, Beauty of Academics-Haifeng's Essays, and 21 other books for which Liu serves as first author or chief editor including History of Chinese Imperial Examination, and Study on the Reform of the College Entrance Examination System.

Over 300 papers of his were published on China Social Sciences, Historical Research, Educational Research and other periodicals. Over 30 papers are reprinted on Xinhua Digest, Chinese Social Sciences Digest and China University Academic Abstracts and over 70 by Journal Copies of Renmin University of China.

In total, Liu has supervised over 60 PhDs and PhD candidates. He was awarded National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor.

He has been awarded ministerial and provincial first prize for 11 times and second prize for 5 times, including first prize of Outstanding Achievements of College and University Scientific Research (Humanities and Social Sciences) for 3 times, first prize of Wu Yuzhang Humanities and Social Sciences for once, first prize of Outstanding Achievements of National Education Science Research for twice and first prize of Outstanding Achievements of Social Sciences in Fujian Province for 5 times.