Xia was born on 28 July 1923 in Chongqing, Sichuan. Her grandfather, Xia Fengxun (夏风薰) had spent forty years as a teacher. Her father, Xia Hongru (夏鸿儒), ran a school in Jiangjin County, Chongqing. Her mother, Huang Xiaoyong (黄孝永), was a teacher at the Jiangjin Girls' Middle School and headmistress of Jiangjin Girls' Primary School.