She was born in Hong Kong in 1954. In 1973, with her soft appearance and pleasant speech, she ranked fourth in the Miss Hong Kong Pageant held by the Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), which marked the beginning of her performing career. In 1978, the classic Chinese drama "Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" produced by RTHK was aired, where Zhao Yazhi's performance as Zhou Zhiruo was highly praised, bringing her widespread fame.