As a child, Jean Pasqualini attended mission schools Tianjin and Shanghai. During the Second World War and after he worked as a translator for the U.S. military and the British Embassy in Beijing prior to the Communist Party takeover in 1949. During the political campaigns of 1957, Pasqualini was sentenced to 12 years in detention, and was accused of "counter-revolutionary activity" on the basis of his work with foreigners. He was released in 1964 after France established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Following his release, he was expelled and moved to Paris.