Grace Anna Zia[4] attended the McTyeire School and later Wellesley College in the United States.

Upon graduation in 1924,[5] Zia returned to teach physical education in China at McTyeire and Ginling College.

In 1928, Zia married Chu Shih-ming, who was appointed military attache to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. in 1941, representing the Nationalist government.

She returned to China after World War II, only to resettle in the United States by 1950.

Five years later, Zia naturalized as an American citizen, and moved to New York City, where she taught cooking at her home, the China Institute, and the Mandarin House restaurant.