Xia learned ancient Chinese prose and mathematics at a young age. At fourteen years old, she was accepted into Nanyu Secondary School (now Chongqing Nankai Secondary School). In this school she was at the top of her class. In 1939, Xia moved to the National No. Nine Middle School in Jiangjin County. She graduated high school in 1940 at the top of her class. After that she started in electrical engineering at the National Central University.