Yao Zhiyan was born in Wuhan, and has been living in Shenzhen since 1992. She has explored the possibilities of different media since the very beginning of her art career and has collaborated with artists, art museums and organizations in China and abroad. She has donated works to institutions in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and U.S. Her works have been shown in mainland China, Hong Kong and Germany. Since 2006, she has been interviewed and featured by  art institutions and media in the U.S., Canada, Indonesia and mainland China. In 2010, she was nominated as a member of Shenzhen Biography Map; in 2011, she was chosen for the Australia-China Artists Program. Her works are held in the collections of private collectors and art museums in Australia, Germany, U.S., France, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau.