Zhao Xinfang (1927) was born in Anxin, Hebei Province. He joined the revolution in 1940. In 1951, he started teaching at the Hebei Art School, and three years later, he joined the Hebei Provincial Art Work Group. He headed the Arts Office of the Hebei Provincial Mass Art Institute in 1956, where he later became vice-director. In 1980, he became vice-chairman of the Hebei Branch of the Chinese Artists Association.

Zhao initially started as a figurative painter, but in his later career, he specialized in landscapes and flower-and-bird paintings.