[1] After graduating from the Beijing Dance Academy in 1995, she joined the National Ballet of China where she became a principal dancer in 2004.
[3] She has created leading roles in most of the classical ballets including Swan Lake, Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle.
[4] She has also danced in the contemporary works The Rite of Spring, Four Last Songs and Études as well as in many of the ballets choreographed by Georges Balanchine.
[7] In December 2011, Zhu Yan was appointed special ambassador to Air France.
She welcomed the position as being of "emotional and symbolic importance", explaining "France and Paris also have a special place in my heart, as this is where I won my first international ballet prize in 1994.