Chengyao He was born in Sichuan, China and lives in Beijing. She graduated from the Sichuan Fine Art University in 1989. Her solo shows include the Live Arts He Chengyao, One World Art Center, Beijing; He Chengyao’s Live Art Photographs Exhibition, Soobin Art Gallery, Singapore; and Juhua Space, Shanghai, China.

More recent work has appeared in the following: Busan Biennale, Korea; Asian Women’s Art, Tokyo Joshibi University’s Art Museum, Japan; The New Vision of Chinese Photography, Taibei Modern Art Museum, Taiwan; Cruel\Loving Bodies, Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai; 798 Space, Beijing, Art Center Hongkong, China; 14th Rencontre Internationale Art Performance Quebec; LE LIEU Centre Art Action, Quebec City; and Clark Gallery Montreal, Canada. She was included in a panel discussion and exhibition of Asian-Pacific Women Artists at Taipei Artist Village, Taiwan. The China Live Art exhibition toured to eight art centers in Britain. Reshaping Contemporary China Art toured to the Millennium Art Museum, Beijing, China and The University at Buffalo Art Galleries, New York, USA. Other group shows include the Southeast Asia Performance Art Symposium and 7th Asiatopia Performance Art Festival, Queens Gallery, Tanland. Her performance art documentations from China include SUMU Titanik Gallery, Finland; International Exhibitionist, Curzon Soho Cinema, London, UK; and the ”Vital”-International Chinese Live Art Festival, Chinese Arts Centre, Manchester, UK.

Chengyao He was a featured artist in Global Feminisms at the Brooklyn Museum, curated by Maura Reilly and Linda Nochlin.