Mao was granted special admission in 2007 to the Piano Department of the Royal Academy of Music in the United Kingdom, where she studied with British famous pianists Nicola Eimer and Joanna MacGregor. She holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree, a Master of Music (Performance) degree, and a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music. She was a piano teacher at King’s College London, and currently teaches at the Music Middle School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Active in the classical music scene both at home and abroad, Mao has performed in the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Canada and Japan. In 2013, she curated in London a solo concert featuring music and text, Sound in Silence, which was well received. She has also served as a member of the jury for several piano competitions, and edited Compulsory Course of Piano Foundation – Book 2, a piano textbook published by Shanghai Conservatory of Music.