This victory qualified her to the Women's World Chess Championship 2004, in which she knocked out Shadi Paridar in the first round, then lost to Elisabeth Pähtz and therefore was eliminated from the competition.

Later in the same year, she took part in the 2006 Asian Games, held in Doha, and won the silver medal in the women's individual rapid chess event.

In the following month, in October 2008, she won the silver medal in the women's individual rapid event at the World Mind Sports Games, which took place in Beijing.

In November 2010, she took part in the 2010 Asian Games, held in Guangzhou, and won the silver medal in the women's individual rapid chess event.

In December 2010, she participated in the Women's World Chess Championship and this time she reached the semifinals, where she lost by 1½-2½ to her compatriot and eventual runner-up Ruan Lufei.

In the leg held in Shenzhen, Zhao scored 6/11 and finished in joint 5th-6th place along with Ruan Lufei, earning her 75 points in the Grand Prix.

[6] In the following month, she won the Asian Women's Blitz Championship, held in Ho Chi Minh City, on tiebreak over Wang Jue and Tan Zhongyi.

In December of the same year, Zhao won the gold medal in the women's Basque chess event at the IMSA Elite Mind Games in Huai'an.