[1][2] He first garnered recognition for his acting in 2013, when his performance in The Story of Zhou Enlai and earned him a Best Actor nomination at the 29th Golden Rooster Awards.
In the 2000s, he has had guest-starring roles in many television series, including The Story of Tibet (2010), The Sun Comes Up in the East (2010), New Fourth Army (2003), The Story of Minister of Public Security Luo Ruiqing (2007), Spring Comes Early in Grassland (2007), Zhou Enlai in Chongqing (2008), and The East is Red 1949 (2009).
Sun became widely known to audiences with The Story of Zhou Enlai, a historical drama film which garnered him a Best Actor nomination at the 29th Golden Rooster Awards.
[6] In 2015, Sun played the role of Zhou Enlai in Zhao Junjie and Zhai Xiaoxing's film Who Is Undercover, for which he received his second Best Actor nomination at the 30th Golden Rooster Awards.
Sun's big break came when Chen Li cast him in My Uncle Zhou Enlai, in which he played Zhou Enlai, a role which brought him much publicity and was nominated for Outstanding Actor Award at the 31st Flying Apsaras Awards.