Bao was born and raised in Rangoon, Burma.Tilly, Charles (2002). "Holding Up More Than Half the Sky. Chinese Women Garment Workers in New York City, 1948-92. (Book Reviews)". International Migration Review,. 36.4: 1226+ – via Gale General OneFile. In 1975 she completed her B.A. at Beijing Teachers College, followed by an M.A. from Jinan University in 1981. In 1984 she continued her studies at New York University, where she earned a Ph.D. in History in 1991."In Memoriam". web.csulb.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-15. She continued her research on New York-based Chinese women garment workers after she completed her doctoral work. Bao could speak Burmese, English, Mandarin, Taishanese, and several other dialects of Cantonese.
