In 1993, Zuo played a minor role in Jiang Wen's directorial debut In the Heat of the Sun, which launched her acting career.
At the age of 8, she joined the Hunan's national rhythmic gymnastics team and retired in 1993.
Zuo then entered Beijing Film Academy in 1995, majoring in acting, where she graduated in 1999.
From 2001 to 2009, Zuo starred in many television series, such as Qianlong Dynasty, The Great Revival and Love of The Millennium.
Zuo married businessman Gao Quanjian, who was more than twenty years her senior, in September 2010, and their daughter was born in July 2011.