Tan Manman was born in Hunan Changsha in 1989, and first learnt the electric keyboard at 6 years old. She proceeded to learn the piano at the age of 7 and erhu from her father Tan Xiaosi at the age of 9. She was admitted to the Affiliated Secondary School of China Conservatory of Music in 2002 under the tutelage of Liu Hong. She entered the China Conservatory of Music in 2008 under the tutelage of Cao Dewei — deputy director of Chinese music department. She also learnt the gaohu and jinghu while studying there.

She won three gold prizes consecutively in the Dunhuang Cup Erhu Competition of Hunan Province from 1999 to 2001. She was awarded silver in the China Youth Arts Competition Pugongying (Dandelion) Prize, organized by Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China.

She performed at the Appreciation of Instrument and New Talents erhu concert organised by the Erhu Society of China Musicians Association as a soloist in 2009. She achieved the silver prize in the Youth Professional A category of the Dunhuang Cup – First National Youth Erhu Competition organised by the Education Society and Musicians Association in 2010. She was appointed the principal player in the China Conservatory of Music Huaxia Ensemble in 2011, and achieved the gold prize in the Professional Category of the Shanghai International Spring – Jiangnan Sizhu Ensemble Competition.

She participated three times in the national tour with Huaxia Ensemble during her university studies. She has performed at various countries, such as Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. She also performed with the Huaxia Ensemble in France. Tan Manman graduated in 2012 and join SCO as an erhu musician in the same year.