Since the 2000s, he has transitioned from comedies to other genres, including costume, war, and period dramas, such as A World Without Thieves (2004), The Banquet (2006), Assembly (2007), Aftershock (2010), Back to 1942 (2012), I Am Not Madame Bovary (2016), for which he won the Golden Horse Award for Best Director, and Youth (2017).

When he was just over a year old, his parents divorced because his father was designated as a “rightist.” Feng moved with his mother and sister to an area near her workplace at Beili Street, Chegongzhuang.

In 1977, he began working unofficially for the Propaganda Team of the 6th Armored Division of the 38th Army in Nankou, Changping District, Beijing, entering the unit by borrowing a military uniform after missing the 1977 conscription period.

[5][6] After his discharge, Feng was initially assigned to work in the propaganda department of the Xizhimen Grain Warehouse in Beijing, but he declined the position.

His 2000 film Sigh garnered critical acclaim, while Big Shot’s Funeral became a notable black comedy with a satirical tone reminiscent of Hong Kong cinema.

It earned ¥120 million at the domestic box office, making it the third-highest-grossing film of the year, behind Kung Fu Hustle and House of Flying Daggers.

In 2006, Feng directed his first historical costume drama, The Banquet, a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet set during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in China.

The film starred Zhang Ziyi, Ge You, Daniel Wu, and Zhou Xun and grossed ¥130 million domestically.

In 2007, Feng released the war film Assembly, which competed directly at the box office with Peter Chan’s historical epic The Warlords.

In December 2008, Feng returned to his signature comedic style with If You Are the One, a romantic comedy starring Ge You and Shu Qi.

It depicted the 1976 Tangshan earthquake and grossed a record-breaking ¥660 million domestically, though it was later surpassed by Let the Bullets Fly and Painted Skin: The Resurrection.

The ¥5.5 billion project spans 1,400 mu (93 hectares) and features architectural elements inspired by Feng’s films, such as Back to 1942 and Aftershock.

That year, Feng starred as the lead in Guan Hu’s film Mr. Six, playing a grizzled Beijing street gangster.

In late 2015, Feng began filming I Am Not Madame Bovary, an adaptation of Liu Zhenyun’s novel, starring Fan Bingbing.

In January 2017, Feng began shooting Youth, a drama set against the backdrop of the Cultural Revolution and the Sino-Vietnamese War, centered on a military arts troupe.

In 2019, Feng directed Only Cloud Knows, a romantic drama starring Huang Xuan and Yang Caiyu, reuniting the trio after the success of Youth.

Due to Feng's vitiligo condition, the couple did not have biological children but instead adopted a girl named Duo’er.

27th Golden Rooster Awards—Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography (Lü Yue), Best Original Score (Wang Liguang).