[1][2] She is noted for her roles as Consort Xiao and Gao Cuilan in the television series Beauty World and Journey to the West respectively.
[6] Cao entered Central Academy of Drama in 2004, majoring in acting, where she graduated in 2008.
In 2001, Cao had a minor role as Ding Xiang in the wuxia television series Treasure Raiders, which starred Nicky Wu and Athena Chu.
In 2007, Cao starred in the fantasy television series The Fairies of Liaozhai, based on the novel Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling.
In 2009, Cao played the character Gao Cuilan in Journey to the West, a shenmo television series adaptation based on the novel of the same name.