[2] In the late 1980s, Hainan was designated a special economic zone by the Chinese government and attracted migrants from all over the country.
[1] The director took pity on him and gave him a background role as a migrant worker in the film Hot Love (热恋), which marked the beginning of Cheng's acting career.
[1] In 1998, he had his breakout role as Zhu Fu in the television series The Water Margin, based on the eponymous classical novel.
He later appeared in the TV series Mission of the Warriors (武林外史, 2001), Wind and Cloud (2002), The Proud Twins (2005), and Journey to the West (2010).
He also starred in many films, including The Painted Veil (2006), Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013) and The Taking of Tiger Mountain (2014).