Born with a movie projectionist father and an amateur actress mother, Qin learned to dance at the local Children's Palace when she was still a young child.

At the age of 6, she was sent to a Peking Opera school in Yingkou, spending the next ten years training in a strict and harsh environment.

Though she was late for the auditions, Chang Li, the teacher in charge of recruiting, who later became her instructor, saw for herself Qin's talents and offered her another chance.

[3] Thereafter, Qin starred in Yip Wai Man's film Everlasting Love (2002) with Hong Kong actor Daniel Chan.

[12] Qin starred alongside Zhou Xun in Red Sorghum (2014), based on Nobel laureate Mo Yan's 1986 novel of the same name.