Pang and Tong both started to skate as six-year-olds. She was a single skater until 1993 when coach Bin Yao teamed her up with Tong. After skating in singles, Tong went into ice dancing for two years because he felt his jumps weren't strong enough. He then switched to pairs because he thought it was more attractive than ice dance. The couple got engaged in 2012 when he proposed to her during an ice show in China. The couple has competed at World Championships since 1999. They retired after the 2014 Olympic Winter Games but decided to come back. Pang/Tong trained without a coach from 1993 to 1997 as Yao had moved to Beijing and they stayed back in Harbin. Pang and Tong's coach Bin Yao was on the first team that represented China in a World Championship (Dortmund 1980).