[5] Sun received overwhelmingly positive feedback from audiences for her portrayal of An Xin, and rose to fame in China as one of the most promising young actresses.

[10] She plays a poor Chinese girl in search of her father who works at a railroad in North America, and challenged speaking in English for the film.

[11][12] The same year, Sun played the title character in the television series, Auntie Duohe, based on the novel of the same name by acclaimed writer Geling Yan.

[13] Sun gained widespread recognition by playing Zhen Huan in the critically acclaimed historical drama, Empresses in the Palace.

[14] Praised for being one of the best historical dramas in China, the series garnered high ratings throughout its run and also sparked trends in dialogue quotes and plastic surgery.

[24] In 2017, Sun played the lead character in the period drama Nothing Gold Can Stay, based on a real-life story of Zhou Ying, a budding businesswoman who takes on the responsibilities from her dead husband and starts rebuilding their business empire from scratch.

[28] In 2019, Sun was cast in the drama I Will Find You a Better Home as a star property agent, and was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Shanghai Television Festival.