Cao was born in Beijing, but during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1971) she was forcibly deported along with her family to their ancestral home in Zhaoyuan, Shandong Province as a result of her grandfather being a member of the "enemy classes" according to Chinese Communist Party doctrine of the time.

After attending Beijing College of Political Science and Law and a period of post-graduate study she was assigned to work at the research centre of the Ministry of Labor and Human Resources.

[3] Cao was diagnosed with pneumonia in November 2013, and fell into a coma in February 2014, at which point she was transferred to a military hospital in Beijing.

[3] Cao died in hospital on 14 March 2014, with her body showing "signs of her mistreatment during approximately five and half months in detention".

Chen was detained by authorities on 20 March 2019 and charged with subversion of state power, having been held incommunicado as of October that year.