Since 1997, Zhao has worked in three different sectors: media, business and NGO.

As a broadcasting journalist in China National Radio in 1997 - 2001, he covered national and international defense affairs.

From 2002 to 2003, Zhao provided project development consulting for China Central Television.

In 2004, Zhao joined the Green Earth, a leading environmental NGO in Beijing. He initiated a training programme on public participation in large hydropower projects and coordinated a national campaign against dams construction along Nu-Salween River.

In 2006, Zhao began to work with Greenpeace (China) Climate and Energy Project as a campaigner. He focused on energy issues, like the external cost of coal use in China and the sustainable energy scenario of China.

Zhao has interests in environmental policy, specifically on energy, and public participation in the decision making of large hydropower projects. Zhao led a case study on China's public participation in the Nu river hydropower development with other four fellows of LEAD-China cohort-11.

Zhao married Ms Qiao liming, who is a LEAD-China fellow, too. The couple live in Brussels now. Zhao holds a B.A. in Chinese Linguistics(1993-1997) from Peking University and a M.Sc. in Environmental Policy and Regulation (2007-2008) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He likes playing badminton, watching movies and reading books.