[1] Xie was born in Huangpi, Hubei, China and grew up in Shanghai.

Her parents became increasingly involved with the Chinese Communist Party; this would influence her career by acting in more "revolutionary" plays like The White Haired Girl.

[1] She graduated from an all-girls' high school in 1951, and started acting shortly after.

She joined acting troupe SOUTH backstage and began singing in the opera.

She was the recipient of the Golden Phoenix Award in 1995 for her contributions to Chinese cinema.