Graduating from the Decoration Major in the Department of Art and Craft at Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in 1984, Jiao was conferred with a master's diploma. He also holds a degree of Bachelor of Arts. He is now a lecturer in the Department of Photography, School of Film and Animation at CAA.

As one of the earliest pioneer artists taking part in the 85 New Wave, Jiao has been insisting on the creation of experimental art and is active in contemporary photography art. Over these years, he has participated in the development of new media art and led the development of the photography discipline and restructuring of the teaching system. He has written and published books and textbooks. He has also curated a series of academic and artistic events, with the aim of improving the higher education of photography art, boosting the cultural dissemination and artistic exploration of modern oriental visual arts, along with integrating and developing photography art across disciplines and domains.