Xu-Holland was born in Auckland to a Chinese father and New Zealand mother and grew up in Wellington and the Bay of Plenty.

[2][3][4] Shortly after deciding to become an actress in 2015, Xu-Holland was cast in a leading role in The Last Race alongside award-winning actors Joseph Fiennes and Shawn Dou.

The Last Race is an unofficial sequel to the Academy Award winning story of Chinese-born Scottish Olympic gold medalist Eric Liddell, Chariots of Fire (1981).

[7] Xu-Holland is best recognized for her work in China, such as television series “Borderland Love” (2018) written by award-winning Chinese Gao Mantang and online film Special Mission (2018).

[10] Xu-Holland has never received formal acting training, and attributes her skills to the scale of opportunities whilst working in China.