[2] He enlisted in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1970 and worked as a publicity officer.
[2] After retiring from the military, he became a journalist for Beijing People's Broadcasting Station.
[2] In 1978, he enrolled at the branch campus of Peking University, and after graduating in 1982, he started working at Beijing Television Studio.
[2] In April 1985, the 3rd National Short Story Award Ceremony was held in Nanjing, Jiangsu, where Zheng and Wang Xiaoping (王小平) met during the conference.
[2] In 1990, Wang pursued advanced studies in the United States, two years later, Zheng married her in America, and she gave birth to a son.