ZHAO Canpeng is a professor at Chinese Classics Research Institute of Jinan University, mainly engaged in research on the history of the Wei-Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties, the history of the Song dynasty, the history of Chinese thought and culture, and classics. In recent years, he has participated in the project of revising the Twenty-four Histories and the Manuscript of Qing History with collaboration of the Zhonghua Book Company, and is in charge of the revision of the Book of Liang.

He was the Director of the Research Department of the Historical Documentation Center of the Shanghai Library, a member of the Academic Research Committee of the Chinese Library Association, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Genealogy and Local History section of International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA).