An Jiayao was born in Beijing in August 1947, with ancestral roots in Yantai, Shandong Province. She is a non-affiliate individual. In August 1982, she graduated with a master's degree from the Department of Archaeology at the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, under the supervision of Su Bai. That same year, she joined the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, where she served as an assistant research fellow, associate research fellow, research fellow, and doctoral supervisor. She served as the Director of the Xi’an Research Office (1995–2013) and Director of the Han-Tang Archaeology Division (2001–2007). She retired in 2013.  

An Jiayao has been a recipient of the government special allowance issued by the State Council. In 2002, she received the Third Prize for Outstanding Research Achievements from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. In 2005, she was recognized as an "Outstanding Individual" in the "Women Making Contributions" campaign by central state organs. She served as a member of the 9th, 10th, and 11th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (1998–2013). In 1999, she was elected as a Corresponding Member of the German Archaeological Institute. She served as the Vice President of the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (2004–2008), Vice President of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics (2002–2018), and Vice President of the Chinese Association for the Protection of Monuments and Sites (2004–2012). Since 2016, she has been the Chairperson of the Silk Road Archaeology Professional Committee of the Archaeological Society of China. In 2013, she was appointed as a researcher of the China Central Institute for Culture and History by the State Council.  

An Jiayao has long engaged in the archaeological excavation and research of Tang Dynasty Chang’an City. She has participated in or led several important archaeological excavations, including the sites of Eastern Court Hall, Hanlin Academy, Hanyuan Hall, Taiye Pool, and Danfeng Gate at the Daming Palace in Tang Chang’an City, Xi’an; the No. 37 Hall site of the Sui Dynasty Renshou Palace – Tang Dynasty Jiucheng Palace in Linyou, Shaanxi; and the sites of Ximing Temple, Circular Mound Altar, and Western Market of Tang Chang’an City in Xi’an. Among these, the excavation of the No. 37 Hall site of the Sui Renshou Palace – Tang Jiucheng Palace was recognized as one of the Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in China for 1994 and one of the Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries during the Eighth Five-Year Plan period (1991–1995). As the Director of the Han-Tang Archaeology Division, she was primarily responsible for the work of the Xi’an Tang City Archaeological Team and also served as the leader of the Yangzhou, Guangzhou, and Lin’an archaeological teams.  

An Jiayao has placed great emphasis on the protection, display, and utilization of cultural heritage. She devoted considerable effort to the approval and establishment of projects such as the Tang West Market Museum in Xi’an , the Daming Palace National Heritage Park, the opening of the Sui and Tang Circular Mound Altar Park, and the preservation of the Jiucheng Palace site. As a member of the expert group of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, she participated in the application for World Heritage status, contributing significantly to the successful inscription of sites such as the Site of Xanadu, Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art, the Silk Roads, the Grand Canal, Tusi Sites, and Quanzhou on the UNESCO World Heritage List.  

As one of the earliest scholars in China and abroad to study ancient Chinese glass, she has published numerous papers in influential academic journals in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and other countries. She has participated in World Glass Congresses held in Beijing, San Francisco, Edinburgh, Osaka, and other locations, and her research findings have been widely cited in academic circles both domestically and internationally.  

As a doctoral supervisor at the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, she has mentored two doctoral students, one postdoctoral researcher, and two doctoral students from South Korea. She has delivered lectures at prestigious universities in China and abroad, including Peking University, Wuhan University, Harvard University, Stanford University, New York University, the University of Edinburgh, and Korea University, introducing the achievements of Chinese archaeology.

•An Jiaoyao. Archaeology of Tang Cities · Glassware on the Silk Road. Zhonghua Book Company, 2024.

•Qinglong Temple and Ximing Temple (Chief Editor: An Jiayao; Authors: An Jiayao, Gong Guoqiang, He Suili, Feng Xiaotang). Cultural Relics Press, 2015.

•A Brief History of Glassware. Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, 2000.

•"The Circular Mound Altar in Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty and Its Origin and Development", in Chinese Archaeology and World Archaeology in the 21st Century: Proceedings of the Conference Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the International Symposium on Chinese Archaeology and World Archaeology in the 21st Century. China Social Sciences Press, 2002.

•"A Study on the Shape of the Dragon Tail Approach of Hanyuan Hall in Daming Palace of the Tang Dynasty", in Chinese Archaeology in the New Century: Festschrift in Honor of Professor Wang Zhongshu’s 80th Birthday. Science Press, 2005.

•"Glassware on the Silk Road", in Sogdians in China: New Evidence from Archaeological Discoveries and Unearthed Documents (Volume 1). Science Press, 2016.

•Dated Islamic Glass in China. Bulletin of the Asia Institute 5 (1991), pp. 123-137.

•Glass Beads Found at The Yongningsi Temple. Journal of Glass Studies Vol. 42, 2000, pp. 81-84.

•The Art of Glass Along the Silk Road, in China: Dawn of a Gold Age, 200-750AD, pp. 57-66. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2004.

•The Development of Archaeology in China: A Ninety-Years Journey, in Unearthed: Recent Archaeological Discoveries from Northern China, pp. 141-164. Yale University Press, 2012.