Born and raised in China, Ying studied Chinese classical folk dance and attended the Nanjing University of Arts, where she was an inaugural member of the university's 4-year choreography program. She began her professional career as a dance teacher at the Sichuan College of Arts & Culture, where she later took on a director role for the dance department. In 2008, she led students from the relatively unknown university to win a Lotus Award - the top prize in China's classical dance competition. On a sabbatical in 2010, she attended the Martha Graham School in New York in hopes of learning more about modern dance and its origins. She received a scholarship to continue her studies and to join the Graham 2 student company. In 2011, Xin Ying joined the Martha Graham Dance Company, where she is currently a principal dancer. 

She is a Dance Magazine cover star. She performs as The Chosen One in Rite of Spring and Graham’s own roles, including Herodiade, Errand into the Maze, Chronicle, Cave of the Heart, Lamentation, Deep Song, and Satyric Festival Song. She has been featured in the original cast for works created for the Company by Nacho Duato, Pontus Lidberg, Annie-B Parson, Hofesh Shechter, Kyle Abraham, Maxine Doyle, and Bobbi Jene Smith.

Her improvision performances have garnered attention across major social media platforms, such as The Met and MoMA, and are highlighted in her Dance Magazine and Frjod Review. 92NY commissioned her improvision performance for its 90-year celebration. Her growing resume as a collaborator and choreographer. Her work Almost Ritual, commissioned by Co.Lab Dance, made the New Yorker and NY Times watch lists.

As she completes her MFA at NYU, she has created a costume-trained GPT for Graham Company, MarthaBot. Her project Lamentation: Dancing the Archive, using volumetric film and AR tracking technology, received the Google Grant Award, it is set to premiere at Jacob’s Pillow in the summer of 2025. And Letter to Nobody, a collaboration with media that allows her to dance with Martha Graham, and which is receiving its world premiere during this season at The Joyce.

In addition to her performances, Xin Ying teaches and choreographs worldwide, with engagements ranging from Salt Lake City, UT, and Little Rock, AR, to Turkey and China.