Zhao was born on 16 October 1987 in Langfang, Hebei. She graduated from Langfang School of Electronic Information Engineering, a secondary professional training school.
In 2006, Zhao Liying participated in the Yahoo Search Star Game and became the final winner. She then signed with Huayi Brothers as a new talent. In 2007, Zhao made her acting debut in the family drama Golden Marriage.
Zhao achieved breakthrough with Legend of Lu Zhen (2013), for her role as an ordinary girl who worked her way up to become the first female prime minister. The drama was a hit domestically, and also overseas in South Korea and Japan, leading to increased recognition for Zhao in the region. She won the Favorite Newcomer award at the 4th China TV Drama Awards, Most Popular TV Actress award at the 4th LeTV Awards and Favorite New Actress award for the mainland region at the Tudou Young Choice Awards. Zhao then starred in Palace: Lock Sinensis, the fourth and final installment of the Gong series by Yu Zheng. Opposite to her usual sweet and nice image, Zhao plays a scheming and evil Princess in the film.
Zhao further solidified her popularity with several high rated dramas in 2014, including The Legend of Chasing Fish, Cuo Dian Yuan Yang and Wife's Secret. Zhao also starred in Boss & Me, based on Gu Man’s popular novel Shan Shan Comes to Eat. The romantic comedy was a hit in China, and was earned high ratings overseas. Zhao's soaring popularity thanks to her various successful acting projects led to her being crowned the "Golden Eagle Goddess" at the 10th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival, where she performed as the opening act to the ceremony.
In 2015, Zhao starred in fantasy-wuxia drama The Journey of Flower. The drama was a huge success in China, achieving a peak rating of 3.89. It is also the first Chinese drama to surpass 20 billion online views. The success of the drama brought Zhao's career to a greater height. Zhao won numerous accolades for her role in The Journey of Flower, including Best Actress at the 6th Macau International Television Festival, Most Popular Actress at the iQiyi All-Star Carnival, as well as Most Appealing Actress and Special Contribution awards at the 7th TV Drama Awards. She followed with modern workplace drama Best Get Going, and another wuxia drama, Legend of Zu Mountain.
In 2016, Zhao was named the tourism ambassador of Hebei. The same year, Zhao became the Vice President of Yi Xia Technology.
Zhao unveiled her wax figure at Madame Tussauds Beijing on May 2017. The same year, Zhao was chosen as a brand ambassador for Dior in China.
In 2018, Zhao is starring in The Monkey King 3, playing the role of the Women Country's Ruler.
