Yaoyuan Zhang was born in Dalian, China in 1989. He embarked on film studies in Japan in 2014 as a Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship recipient under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Graduating with a Ph.D. in Film from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2024, he had been awarded by the Housen Cultural Foundation Film Fund four times. His last short film Half Time entered the selection of Shanghai International Film Festival, Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival, the 5th NOWNESS Awards and won the Best Picture. His latest short film, Life is Snow, won the Best Short Film at the 8th Pingyao International Film Festival and was selected by 2025 Busan International Short Film Festival.