Zhu Xiao-Mei began playing the piano when she was a young child, and entered the Central Conservatory of Music when she was ten. Her studies were interrupted by the Cultural Revolution and she was sent to a labour camp in Mongolia for five years. Life in the camp was nearly unbearable, yet through it all, she kept her dreams alive, drawing on the power of music to sustain her courage.

When the Revolution ended, she moved to the U.S. and finally Paris, France, where she was able to fully embrace her passion. Her career then began to take flight. She has performed for audiences all over the world in leading concert halls like Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires; and in prestigious festivals including the Festival de La Roque-d' Anthéron and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. She now teaches at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique.

Her autobiography La Rivière et son secret (English edition: The Secret Piano) was published in October 2007 and was awarded the Grand Prix des Muses in 2008.