Beginnings Feng made his acting debut in 1998, and has appeared in several television series, including
Boy & Girl,
Wind and Cloud 2,
Assassinator Jing Ke,
Sigh of His Highness, and
The Conquest. Feng gained more attention after starring in a grand production drama by Hong Kong's
TVB and mainland China's
CCTV,
The Drive of Life. He then starred in the period drama
Yun Niang alongside
Ady An and
Leanne Liu, which placed number one in ratings upon its premiere on
SMG. Feng reunited with Ady An in
Four Women Conflicts, and his performance in the series won him the Audience's Most Favorite Actor award at Fujian TV Station's "I Love My Drama" award ceremony. In 2010, he played the role of
Liu Zhang in ''
Beauty's Rival in Palace''.
Rise in popularity Feng rose to mainstream popularity after starring in
Palace (2011), one of the most popular Chinese dramas of the year. The same year, he starred in
Daniel Lee's historical film
White Vengeance where plays
Xiang Yu, the powerful warlord. Feng's outstanding performance in the film led to him winning two awards - "Most Commercially Valuable Newcomer" and "Outstanding Performance" at the 2011 Harbin Film Festival. Feng then starred in
Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012), a sequel to
Gordon Chan's 2008 box office hit
Painted Skin. He next starred alongside
Fan Bingbing in
Double Xposure, a romantic thriller directed by
Li Yu. In 2013, Feng starred as the titular
prince in the historical drama
Prince of Lan Ling. The series earned high ratings in Taiwan, breaking the record set by
Three Kingdoms, and earned increased recognition for Feng in the region. The same year, he starred in the action film
Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon directed by
Tsui Hark. Feng was voted the Most Popular Actor award at the 2014
Beijing Student Film Festival.
Success in films and TV productions In 2014, Feng starred alongside
Tang Wei in
The Golden Era directed by
Ann Hui, which closed at the
Venice International Film Festival. His portrayal of Xiao Jun, a left-wing author who is strong and not afraid to express his feelings, earned the praises of the director. Feng had requested not to be paid to support Ann, whom he has admired and wanted to work with her for many years. The same year, he starred in the road-trip comedy
The Continent, directed by
Han Han. In 2015, Feng starred in the Chinese-French co-production
Wolf Totem, adapted from Jiang Rong's 2004 best-selling novel by the same name. He plays a Chinese student who is sent to Inner Mongolia to teach shepherds and instead learns about the wolf population. Feng and co-star
Shawn Dou bonded with the wolves by cleaning their cages and feeding them; and trained in horse-riding for their roles. The film earned Feng his first Best Actor trophy at the 33rd
Hundred Flowers Awards. The same year, he was cast in the
film adaptation of the best-selling novel,
The Three-Body Problem. Feng then played
Xuanzang in
The Monkey King 2, which was released in February 2016. The same year, he starred alongside
Victoria Song in fantasy drama
Ice Fantasy, adapted from
Guo Jingming's novel of the same name as well as the
Chinese remake of ''
My Best Friend's Wedding''. Feng returned to television with another fantasy drama
The Starry Night, The Starry Sea (2017) alongside
Bea Hayden. The same year, he starred alongside
Liu Yifei in the fantasy comedy film
Hanson and the Beast. In 2018, Feng played the male lead in historical drama
The Story of Minglan. He reprised his roles as
Tang Sanzang and Yuchi in the films
The Monkey King 3 and
Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings respectively. In 2022, he starred in wuxia film
Song of the Assassins, which became a box office disappointment, and historical drama,
The Imperial Age, portraying
Yongle Emperor. ==Personal life==