Hsiao Mei-ling was born in Keelung, Taiwan. She is teaching in the Department of Arts and Design at the National Taipei University of Education. In 1998 she graduated from the National School of Art and Design of Nancy. 2000 she graduated from Le Fresnoy National Studio of the Contemporary Arts, where she worked under the supervision of Robert Kramer.

Her works turn towards contemporary art and documentary films later on. She participated in Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, Cinema de reel International Documentary Film Festival, Lussas International Documentary Film Festival, Dokfsetival Leipzig, Germany and Bandit Mages, Festival de Bourges, 2007 her film Somewhere over the Cloud was awarded Special Mention of New Asian Currents at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival.