Female swimmer Shan Ying was born in August 1978 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. She entered Hangzhou Sports School in 1987 and then joined the swimming team of the PLA Guangzhou Military Area Command. In 1993, she was selected to the national swimming team.

She won the championships in women’s 4×100m and 4×200m freestyle relay at the Seventh World Aquatics Championships in 1994, in women’s 100m freestyle at the Hiroshima 1994 Asian Games, in women’s 4×100m freestyle relay at the Second Short Course World Swimming Championships in 1995, and in women’s 100m freestyle at the Fifth Asian Swimming Championships in 1996. She also bagged the runner-up in women’s 4×100m freestyle relay at the 26th Olympic Games in 1996, and the championships in women’s 50m freestyle at the Eighth National Games in 1997, and in women’s 4×100m freestyle relay and 50m freestyle at the 35th World Military Swimming Championships in 1998.

She won the championships in women’s 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 4×100m freestyle relay and the runner-up in women’s 4×100m medley relay at the 1998 Asian Games held in Bangkok.