[1][2] She gained popularity for her role in the sitcom My Own Swordsman (2006) and went on to star in the television series Lurk (2008), Divorce Lawyers (2014), and All Is Well (2019).

Her notable film credits include Caught in the Web (2012), Firestorm (2013), Lost, Found (2018), and Send Me to the Clouds (2019).

From 1999 to 2003, she studied acting at the Beijing Film Academy, where her classmates included actors Ling Xiaosu, Yu Bo, and Ye Jing.

[12][14] Yao opened a Sina Weibo account in 2009, becoming one of the earliest celebrities in China to embrace social media, which led to runaway success.

In the early 2010s, her immense popularity on Chinese social media earned her the title of “Weibo Queen.”[15][16][17][5] In 2009, Yao made her theatrical debut, playing a white-collar heroine in A Story of Lala's Promotion.

[19] Yao then starred in romantic comedy Color Me Love (2010) as an aspiring fashion magazine editor, which would go on to become one of her most famous film roles.

[27] Yao was nominated as Best Supporting Actress at the Hundred Flowers Awards for her performance in Monster Hunt.

[36] In 2012, Yao was named the UNHCR's Honorary Patron for China and has visited refugees in places including the Philippines, Thailand, Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia.