Yi-Fu Zhao was born in Shanghai, China in 1956. Beginning in his very early years, Yi-Fu received a very strict education in art. He graduated from the internationally respected Fine Art College of Shanghai, where he specialized in oil painting. Following his graduation, he taught oil painting at the Shanghai Art Institute and at the Art Research Institute of Jiao Tong University. His further education included the Fine Arts College of Tsukuba University in Japan and the Academy of Art College in San Francisco.