'''Yingying Zhang''' ({{zh|s=章莹颖|t=章瑩穎|p=Zhāng Yíngyǐng}}) ({{lahirmati|[[Nanping]]|21|12|1990|Champaign|9|6|2017}}) lahir di kota [[Nanping]], [[Provinsi Fujian]], dari pasangan Ronggao Zhang dan Lifeng Ye. Zhang memiliki satu adik laki-laki bernama Zhengyang.<ref name="CT0624">{{cite web |last1=MUNKS |first1=JAMIE |title=Federal jury finds Brendt Christensen guilty of kidnapping, slaying of Chinese scholar at U. of I. |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-brendt-christensen-u-of-i-killer-trial-closings-20190624-7egg6wsmxbhrziuaxu7pyeufm4-story.html |publisher=CHICAGO TRIBUNE |accessdate=6 November 2021 |location=Peoria, IL |date=24 Juni 2019}}</ref> Dia aktif dalam sebuah grup musik dan bercita-cita menjadi profesor di negaranya.<ref name=NobodySaw>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-missing-illinois-student-charges-20170630-story.html|title='Nobody saw this coming': Arrest in Chinese scholar's disappearance stuns U. of I.community |first1=Dawn| last1=Rhodes |first2=Grace |last2=Wong |first3=Robert|last3=McCoppin|website=[[The Chicago Tribune]] |date=30 Juni 2017 |accessdate=6 November 2021}}</ref> Pada tahun 2013, Zhang lulus dari [[Universitas Sun Yat-sen]] dengan nilai tertinggi di kelasnya.<ref>{{cite web| last=Masterson |first=Matt |title=Defense Attorney: 'Brendt Christensen Killed Yingying Zhang' |url=https://news.wttw.com/2019/06/12/defense-attorney-brendt-christensen-killed-yingying-zhang |date=12 Juni 2019 |accessdate=6 November 2021 |publisher=WTTW}}</ref> Pada 2016, ia lulus dari [[Universitas Peking]].<ref name=USVC612/> Zhang adalah seorang sarjana tamu di [[Akademi Ilmu Pengetahuan Tiongkok]]<ref name=ChinaDaily>{{cite news |title=US police seek information on car where missing Chinese scholar last seen |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2017-06/13/content_29723861.htm |work=[[China Daily]] |date=13 Juni 2017 |access-date=6 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620212906/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2017-06/13/content_29723861.htm |archive-date=20 Juni 2017 }}</ref> sebelum berangkat ke Amerika. Dia tiba di Amerika pada April 2017 untuk melakukan penelitian tentang [[fotosintesis]] dan produktivitas pertanian selama satu tahun<ref name=CTGrandJury/> di Departemen Sumber Daya Alam dan Ilmu Lingkungan,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nres.uiuc.edu/ |title=Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences: College of ACES, University of Illinois |publisher=Nres.uiuc.edu |accessdate=6 November 2021}}</ref> Fakultas Pertanian, Konsumen, dan Ilmu Lingkungan di Universitas Illinois di Urbana-Champaign.<ref name=APinvestigates>{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |title=FBI Investigates Chinese Woman's Disappearance as Kidnapping |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/fbi-investigates-chinese-womans-disappearance-as-kidnapping/2017/06/15/66b00694-51e6-11e7-b74e-0d2785d3083d_story.html |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=15 Juni 2017 |access-date=6 November 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170615180259/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/fbi-investigates-chinese-womans-disappearance-as-kidnapping/2017/06/15/66b00694-51e6-11e7-b74e-0d2785d3083d_story.html |archive-date=15 Juni 2017 }}</ref> Dia sedang mempertimbangkan untuk mendaftar di program doktoral di Universitas Illinois.<ref name=NobodySaw/> Zhang berencana menikahi kekasihnya, Xiaolin Hou, pada Oktober 2017.<ref name=USVC612>{{cite web|url=https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/article/file-attachments/JT%20CHRISTENSEN%20%20VOLUME%208A%20%28Redacted%29.pdf |title=United States of America vs. Brendt A. Christensen, Jury Trial (Volume 8A) |date=12 Juni 2021 |accessdate=6 November 2021}}</ref>
