He is best known for playing the part of the governor of the detention camp in the Bernardo Bertolucci's film The Last Emperor, and the role of the Tibetan Buddhist Lama Norbu in Little Buddha.

He studied in a church school in Tianjin in his early years, and later graduated from the Department of Foreign Languages of Tsinghua University.

Ying's autobiography, co-authored by Claire Conceison, "Voices Carry: Behind Bars and Backstage During China's Revolution and Reform" was published posthumously (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009).

His grandfather Ying Lianzhi (英敛之; 1867–1926) was the founder of Takungpao and Fu Jen Catholic University.

His grandmother Aisin Gioro Shuzhong (爱新觉罗·淑仲) was a member of the Qing dynasty royal family and therefore related to Puyi the last Emperor of China.