Tang started his acting career when he first joined a performance troupe in 1970 after graduating from middle school.
He made his film debut in 1975 as the male lead in Storm over the South China Sea.
Tang rise to fame started in 1979, with his role in the military-themed film Little Flower, becoming something of a pop idol after his appearance in the mythological romance flick, Peacock Princess, in 1982.
[1] In 1990, Tang played the ancient politician and strategist Zhuge Liang in the epic TV drama Romance of Three Kingdoms,[2] and through the years he would become a specialist interpreting historic figures, such as Li Shimin and Yongzheng.
[1] He is also well known for his performances of Mao Zedong,[1][3][4] starting in 1996, when Tang starred with Li Lin and Ma Xiaowei in Zhai Junjie's war film The Long March.