Zhao Zhihong was born on September 5, 1972, in Yongxing village, located in Liangcheng County, Inner Mongolia, China. He was raised in a rural environment. Growing up, Zhao attended school and eventually graduated. After finishing his education, he took on various low-skill jobs. However, he did not stay in any of these jobs for a long time.

On April 9, 1996, Zhao Zhihong committed his first murder. He raped and strangled a young textile mill worker named Yang in a public toilet in Hohhot. An 18-year-old named Huugjilt found her body and was later wrongfully accused of the crime. Huugjilt was forced to confess and was sentenced to death, executed on June 10, 1996. Zhao committed a second rape-murder on May 20, 2000. This crime went unsolved for years.

In 2005, Zhao's criminal activity escalated, and he raped and killed four more girls and women. The first two murders occurred on January 2 and January 7. A third victim was killed on February 24. Local authorities became alarmed and offered a reward of 2,000 yuan for information about the killer. In July 2005, Zhao killed his last victim.

Zhao was arrested on October 23, 2005, after a woman identified him from a photo. He confessed to committing over 20 crimes, which included 11 murders and 10 rapes. He also admitted to the murder of mill worker Yang, for which the innocent Huugjilt had been executed.

Zhao's trial began on January 5, 2015, and it was often postponed. He expressed regret for the execution of an innocent person and apologized during his confession. On February 9, 2015, he was found guilty of 11 murders, 10 rapes, and a robbery. The court sentenced him to death by firing squad and he was fined 155,000 yuan.

Zhao was executed on July 30, 2019. He refused to meet with the victims' relatives before his execution, which was provided by law.