[1] Yao was a member of the 5th, 6th, and 7th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

In 1930, Yao was expelled for taking part in student movement from Henan University.

Yao worked in Wuhan, and shortly taught at Central China Normal University.

He was attacked by the Red Guards, but was protected from physical harm by Mao Zedong.

[2][3] In 1977, Yao published his novel Li Zicheng volume 2, which won him the first-time Mao Dun Literature Prize, a prestigious literary award in China.