Born into an artist family in Shanghai in 1939, Huang studied at the Beijing Film Academy in the 1960s. She began her film career as an assistant to famous director Xie Jin. Since then she has made a good many acclaimed films of her own, including Forever Young, Woman Demon Human, and A Soul Haunted by Painting. She has also plied her trade for TV, directing Fortress Besieged and Nie Zhai, both of which received high praise. Huang says she is interested in illustrating grand themes through ordinary figures and events.

Woman Demon Human made Huang an internationally acclaimed filmmaker. The film is inspired by the true story of famous opera actress Pei Yanling, who also stars and gives a number of operatic performances throughout. Pei is represented onscreen by the fictional character Qiu Yun, who, like Pei, grew up in a traveling opera troupe after her mother eloped when she was child. With a determination to learn opera, Qiu studies hard and eventually becomes renowned for her performances as the male leads. On the stage she hides her own gender behind a man's role, in particular the underworld god Zhongkui, who fast becomes her favorite character. Off stage, Qiu has an unhappy personal life, but she finds solace through frequent conversations with Zhongkui in her mind, seeking his protection and consul by retreating deep into her imagination and her art. Often regarded as a feminist piece, the film probes deeply into a woman's psychological world.