Xu Zheng: The Life Story Behind China's Comedy Star
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Xu Zheng is a man who changed jobs in the middle of his life and became more successful than ever. He started as a stage actor in Shanghai, and he was good at it, but he was not famous. He became known on television as a funny actor, and then, in his forties, he became a film director, and his first film as a director became one of the biggest hits in Chinese cinema history. That is a rare journey, and it tells a story about courage, about learning new skills, and about trusting your own taste.
He was born in Shanghai in 1972, and he studied at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. He worked on the stage for years, and he learned how to act, how to direct a play, and how to work with an audience. He played in television dramas, and he became known for his comic timing and his warm manner. But he wanted more. He wanted to tell stories his own way, and he wanted to make films that were funny and also true to life. In 2012, he directed Lost in Thailand, a comedy about two businessmen who travel to Thailand and get into trouble. The film earned a huge amount of money, and it changed Chinese cinema. It showed that a small comedy, made with care and with good acting, could beat big and expensive films.
Since then, Xu Zheng has directed and acted in more films, and he has produced Dying to Survive, a serious drama about a man who sells cheap medicine to cancer patients. That film showed a different side of him, a serious and thoughtful side, and it made people talk about the price of medicine and the lives of ordinary people. This is the story of how a stage actor from Shanghai became a director, a producer, and one of the most important filmmakers in China.
Growing Up in Shanghai and the Love of Theatre
Xu Zheng was born on 18 April 1972 in Shanghai, a city that has always loved theatre, film, and art. Shanghai in the 1970s was a busy city, full of old theatres, cinemas, and schools, and Xu Zheng grew up surrounded by stories. He liked to watch plays and films, and he enjoyed the way a good actor could make an audience laugh or cry. He was a lively boy, and he liked to perform, but he was also thoughtful, and he liked to think about why a story worked and why another one did not.
He went to school in Shanghai, and he joined drama activities when he could. He found that he enjoyed being on a stage, and that he was good at making people laugh. He also found that acting was hard work, and that it needed practice, patience, and discipline. He decided that he wanted to study acting properly, and he applied to the Shanghai Theatre Academy, one of the best drama schools in China. He was accepted, and he began a serious training in acting, voice, and movement.
At drama school, Xu Zheng learned the craft of the stage. He studied plays from China and from other countries, and he rehearsed for hours every day. His teachers were strict, and they expected him to work hard. He did work hard, and he became a good student. He was not the most handsome student, and he was not the loudest one, but he was clever and funny, and he had a good understanding of people. He learned to play characters who were ordinary and real, and he learned to find the humour in everyday life.
He also learned to love the theatre itself, the smell of the stage, the lights, the audience, and the feeling of a live performance. Theatre is different from film, because there is no second take, and the audience is close enough to see everything. Xu Zheng loved that challenge, and he wanted to spend his life in the theatre. He did not know then that he would one day leave the stage for film, and that he would become a director. He only knew that he wanted to tell stories, and that the theatre was a good place to learn how to do it.
Stage Years and the Move to Television
After drama school, Xu Zheng worked on the stage in Shanghai. He acted in plays, and he learned the discipline of live performance. He played many different kinds of characters, from funny men to serious men, and he learned to build a character from the inside. He also learned to work with directors, writers, and other actors, and to be part of a team. The stage years were important, because they taught him how a story is built, how a scene works, and how an audience reacts. These lessons would later help him as a film director.
The stage did not pay well, and Xu Zheng, like many young actors, had to find other work to make a living. He began to act in television dramas, and he became known to a wider audience. He played in comedies and in dramas about modern life in Shanghai, and he became known for his comic timing. He could make people laugh with a small gesture or a quiet line, and he did not need to shout to be funny. Television gave him a larger audience, and it gave him a steady income, but he never forgot the stage. He continued to work in the theatre when he could, because he believed that the stage kept an actor honest.
He also began to think about directing. On the stage, he had watched directors at work, and he had learned how they built a play, how they chose actors, and how they solved problems. He began to wonder whether he could direct a film, and whether he could tell a story his own way. He did not rush into directing. He spent years learning, watching, and thinking, and he waited until he had a story that he really wanted to tell. That patience is important, because many actors try to direct too early, before they are ready, and they fail. Xu Zheng waited until he was ready, and that made all the difference.
During these years, he also built a reputation as a reliable and clever actor. Directors liked working with him, because he came to the set prepared, and because he understood the script. Other actors liked him, because he was funny and kind, and because he did not act like a star. He was a professional, and he was proud of that. He was not yet famous, but he was respected, and he was learning the skills that would make him famous later, when he finally got his chance to direct.
Lost in Thailand and a Director Is Born
In 2012, Xu Zheng directed his first film, Lost in Thailand. The film was a comedy about two businessmen, played by Xu Zheng and Wang Baoqiang, who travel to Thailand to find their boss and to solve a business problem. Along the way, they get into trouble, meet strange people, and learn something about themselves. The film was funny, warm, and full of life, and it was made on a modest budget. Nobody expected it to be a huge hit, but it was. It earned more than one billion yuan at the box office, a record for a Chinese comedy at the time, and it made Xu Zheng famous as a director overnight.
The success of Lost in Thailand changed Chinese cinema. It showed that a comedy about ordinary people, made with good acting and a good story, could earn more money than a big action film with expensive special effects. It also showed that a director who understood comedy and who trusted his actors could succeed without a huge budget. Xu Zheng became a symbol of a new kind of Chinese filmmaker, a man who came from the theatre, who knew how to tell a story, and who was not afraid to be funny. Producers began to look for similar films, and audiences began to expect more comedies that were smart and warm.
Xu Zheng handled the success with care. He did not rush into another film. He thought about what he wanted to do next, and he chose his projects carefully. He directed Lost in Hong Kong in 2015, a sequel that was also successful, and he acted in other films. He learned that being a director was different from being an actor. A director has to think about everything, the script, the actors, the camera, the music, and the editing, and he has to make hundreds of decisions every day. Xu Zheng enjoyed that challenge, and he learned quickly, because his years on the stage had taught him how to build a story and how to work with people.
Lost in Thailand was not only a commercial success. It was also a personal success for Xu Zheng, because it proved that he could direct. He had spent years watching directors, learning from them, and waiting for his chance. When the chance came, he took it, and he made a film that millions of people loved. That is a lesson in patience and preparation, and it is a lesson that Xu Zheng has carried with him ever since. He did not become a director by luck. He became a director by learning, waiting, and working hard.
Dying to Survive and a Serious Turn
In 2018, Xu Zheng produced and starred in Dying to Survive, a drama based on a true story about a man who sold cheap medicine from India to cancer patients in China who could not afford the expensive official drugs. Xu Zheng played Cheng Yong, a small shop owner who became a smuggler of medicine, not for money at first, but to help people who were dying. The film was serious, moving, and powerful, and it made audiences think about the price of medicine, the lives of patients, and the choices that ordinary people have to make when they are ill.
Dying to Survive was a huge success, both at the box office and with critics. It won awards, and it started a public discussion about drug prices in China. The film was praised for its honesty, for its acting, and for its willingness to talk about a difficult subject. Xu Zheng’s performance was quiet and strong, and it showed a different side of him. He was not only a funny man. He was an actor who could play a serious and flawed man, a man who broke the law to help others, and who paid a price for it. The film showed that Xu Zheng had grown as a filmmaker, and that he was interested in stories that mattered, not only in stories that made people laugh.
The success of Dying to Survive also showed that Xu Zheng was willing to take risks. He could have made another comedy like Lost in Thailand, and it would probably have made money. Instead, he chose a serious drama about a hard subject, and he trusted the audience to watch it. That trust was rewarded, because the audience did watch it, and they talked about it for months. The film changed the way many people thought about medicine and about the law, and it is now seen as one of the most important Chinese films of recent years.
Xu Zheng’s work on Dying to Survive also showed his skill as a producer. He helped to bring the film together, to find the right director, and to support the actors. He used his fame and his money to make a film that he believed in, even though it was not an easy film to make. That is a generous and brave thing to do, and it earned him respect from other filmmakers. He was no longer only a comedy actor or a comedy director. He was a filmmaker who cared about real life, and who wanted to use film to talk about it.
Later Films, Producing, and a Filmmaker’s Life
After Dying to Survive, Xu Zheng continued to work as an actor, director, and producer. He directed and acted in Lost in Russia, a comedy about a man who travels by train and tries to repair his relationship with his mother, and he played in other films about family and modern life. He also produced films by young directors, and he used his experience to help new filmmakers. He believed that Chinese cinema needed new voices, and he wanted to support them. He was not only thinking about his own career. He was thinking about the future of Chinese film.
He also continued to act on the stage when he could, and he spoke about the importance of theatre for young actors. He said that the stage taught him discipline and honesty, and that he wanted young actors to learn those lessons too. He became a mentor to younger performers, and he shared his experience with them. He was generous with his time, and he was honest about the difficulties of a career in film. He told young actors that success takes time, that failure is part of learning, and that they should focus on good work, not on fame.
Xu Zheng’s later work shows a man who is comfortable with his place in Chinese cinema. He is not trying to make the biggest film every year. He is trying to make good films, to tell stories that matter, and to help other filmmakers. He chooses his projects carefully, and he says no to work that does not interest him. That patience and that care are the same qualities that helped him during his long years on the stage, and they have not changed now that he is famous. He is still the boy from Shanghai who loved the theatre, and who wanted to tell stories well.
He has also kept his private life mostly out of the news, and he has focused on his work and his family. He is married to the actress Tao Hong, and they have a daughter. He has spoken about the importance of family, and about the need to balance work and home life. That balance is not easy for a filmmaker, who often works long hours and travels a great deal, but Xu Zheng has tried to keep it. He is a man who has built a career slowly and carefully, and who has not let fame change him in a bad way.
Why Xu Zheng Matters to Chinese Cinema
Xu Zheng matters because he showed that a comedy could be smart, warm, and successful at the same time. Before Lost in Thailand, many people thought that a Chinese comedy needed to be loud and silly to make money. Xu Zheng proved that a comedy about ordinary people, with a good story and good acting, could earn more than a big action film. That changed the way producers thought about comedy, and it opened the door for other filmmakers who wanted to make intelligent and funny films. He did not only make a hit film. He changed an industry.
He also matters because he showed that an actor can become a director, and that a director can become a producer, and that a filmmaker can grow and change throughout his life. Xu Zheng did not stay in one place. He moved from the stage to television, from television to film acting, from acting to directing, and from directing to producing. Each move was a risk, and each move taught him something new. That willingness to learn and to change is a valuable lesson for anyone, not only for filmmakers. It says that you are never too old to learn a new skill, and that a career can have many chapters.
Finally, Xu Zheng matters because of Dying to Survive. That film showed that a popular filmmaker could talk about a serious and difficult subject, and that audiences would listen. It started a conversation about medicine, about the law, and about the lives of ordinary people who are ill. That conversation was important, and it showed that film can do more than entertain. It can make people think, and it can even help to change society. Xu Zheng used his success to make a film that mattered, and that is a generous and brave use of fame. It is why he is respected, not only as a funny man, but as a serious filmmaker.
Lost in Russia and Helping Young Directors
Xu Zheng directed Lost in Russia, a comedy about a man who travelled by train to Russia with his mother, and who tried to repair their difficult relationship during the long journey. The film was funny and touching, and it showed Xu Zheng’s interest in family stories, in the love between a mother and a son, and in the way that a long trip can change a person. It was released online during a holiday period when cinemas were closed, and it was watched by millions of people at home. That was a new way to release a film, and Xu Zheng was brave to try it, because it meant giving up box office money for the sake of reaching his audience.
He has also used his success to help young directors. He has produced films by new filmmakers, and he has shared his experience with them, teaching them how to build a story, how to work with actors, and how to handle the pressure of a big production. He believes that Chinese cinema needs new voices, and that older filmmakers should help younger ones, not compete with them. That generosity has earned him respect, and it has helped to bring new talent into Chinese film. He is not only thinking about his own films. He is thinking about the future of the whole industry.
Xu Zheng has also continued to act in films about modern life, playing businessmen, fathers, and ordinary men who are trying to do their best. He brings the same care to acting that he brings to directing, reading scripts carefully and thinking about his characters. He is now in his fifties, and he is one of the most important filmmakers in China, but he still works like a man who remembers the stage in Shanghai, where every performance had to be earned. He has not forgotten where he started, and that memory keeps his work honest.
His story is still going on, and his fans are waiting to see what he will make next. Whatever it is, they trust him, because he has shown that he can make people laugh, and that he can also make them think about serious things. That combination, comedy and seriousness, is rare, and it is why Xu Zheng is respected, not only as a funny man, but as a filmmaker who cares about real life and about the people who live it. He also played in Lost in Hong Kong, a sequel to his first hit, in which he travelled to Hong Kong and got into a series of funny troubles with his brother-in-law. The film was successful, and it showed that Xu Zheng could make a sequel without simply repeating the first film. He changed the city, he changed the characters, and he kept the humour fresh. He also learned that a sequel is harder than a first film, because the audience expects the same feeling, but they also want something new. Xu Zheng tried to give them both, and he succeeded well enough to keep his reputation as a comedy director.
Xu Zheng has also acted in films directed by other people, playing businessmen, fathers, and friends, and he brings the same care to acting that he brings to directing. He arrives on set prepared, he knows his lines, and he helps younger actors to feel comfortable. Directors like working with him, because he understands their problems, having been a director himself. That understanding makes him a better actor, and a better colleague, and it is one reason he is respected across the Chinese film industry.
He has spoken about the importance of scripts, saying that a good film starts with a good story, and that no amount of money or special effects can save a bad script. He spends a long time on scripts, reading them, rewriting them, and talking about them with writers. That patience is unusual in a fast moving industry, where many films are rushed into production. Xu Zheng believes that time spent on a script is time well spent, and his films prove it, because they are built on strong stories that audiences remember.
My Take:
I think Xu Zheng is a brave man, and I want to explain what I mean by brave, because it is not the kind of bravery that you see in an action film. It is a quieter kind of bravery. He was a good stage actor, and he was comfortable in the theatre. He could have stayed there for his whole life, and he would have had a respectable career. Instead, he decided to learn a new job, film directing, in his forties, when most people are trying to protect what they already have. That takes courage, because learning a new job means admitting that you do not know everything, and it means risking failure in front of everyone. Xu Zheng took that risk, and it paid off, but it could easily have failed. I admire him for trying.
What I like most about Lost in Thailand is that it is a simple film. Two men travel to Thailand, they get into trouble, and they learn something about themselves. That is not a complicated story, but it is a true one. I think many filmmakers try to make their stories too big, with too many explosions and too many twists. Xu Zheng trusted a simple story, good acting, and honest humour, and the audience rewarded him. I think that is a lesson for anyone who wants to tell a story. You do not need a huge budget. You need a good story, good people, and the patience to tell it well. Xu Zheng had all three, and that is why his film worked.
I also think about his years on the stage, and I believe they are the reason his films feel so human. On a stage, you cannot hide behind special effects. You have to build a character with your voice, your body, and your words. Xu Zheng learned that, and he brought it to film. His characters talk like real people, they argue like real people, and they laugh like real people. That is not easy to do in a film, because a film set is full of cameras and lights and people watching. But Xu Zheng makes it look easy, because he spent years learning how to do it on a stage where there was nowhere to hide.
Then there is Dying to Survive, and I want to be honest about how that film made me feel. It made me sad, and it made me angry, and it made me think. It made me think about people who are ill and who cannot afford medicine, and about the choices they have to make. It made me think about a man who breaks the law to help others, and about whether he is a criminal or a hero. I do not have an easy answer to that question, and I think the film does not want me to have one. It wants me to think, and to feel, and to talk about it with other people. That is what good art does. It does not give you a simple answer. It gives you a hard question, and it trusts you to think about it.
I respect Xu Zheng for making that film, because he did not need to. He was already rich and famous from his comedies, and he could have made another funny film and earned more money. Instead, he chose a serious film about a painful subject, and he risked his reputation. What if the audience did not like it? What if the critics said it was too serious? What if it lost money? He took those risks anyway, because he believed the story mattered. I think that is a generous use of fame. Fame gives you power, and you can use that power to make easy money, or you can use it to tell a story that needs to be told. Xu Zheng chose the second way, and I admire him for it.
I also think about his work as a producer, helping young directors. That is another generous choice. Many successful filmmakers only think about their own films. They do not help others, because they are afraid of competition. Xu Zheng helps young filmmakers, and he shares his experience with them. I think that comes from his theatre background, where a play only works if everyone works together. He understands that film is a team effort, and that helping young people makes the whole industry better. I wish more successful people thought that way. The world would be better if successful people used their success to lift others, instead of only lifting themselves.
There is a part of his story that I find a little worrying, and I want to say it plainly. When a filmmaker becomes very successful, people start to expect every new film to be a huge hit. That pressure can make a director afraid to take risks, and can push him to repeat the same formula again and again. I hope Xu Zheng does not fall into that trap. I hope he keeps taking risks, keeps trying new stories, and keeps saying no to work that does not interest him. His strength has always been his honesty and his willingness to learn. If he loses those qualities, his films will suffer. I do not know if that will happen, but I hope he remembers the stage actor who waited patiently for his chance, and who was not afraid to try something new.
I also think about Shanghai, his home city, and how it shaped him. Shanghai is a city that loves theatre, film, and art, but it is also a city that loves business and money. Xu Zheng grew up in that mix, and his films show both sides. They are funny and entertaining, but they are also about money, work, and the choices that people make when they are trying to succeed. Lost in Thailand is about businessmen, Dying to Survive is about a shop owner, and Lost in Russia is about a man and his mother on a train. These are stories about ordinary people in a modern city, trying to live well. I think Xu Zheng understands Shanghai, and he understands modern China, because he grew up in it, and he tells its stories with care.
If I could ask him one question, I would ask him what he learned from directing that he did not learn from acting. I think his answer would be about seeing the whole picture. An actor only sees his own character. A director has to see every character, every scene, and every part of the story. That is a bigger job, and it needs a different kind of thinking. I think Xu Zheng enjoys that bigger job, because he is a thoughtful man who likes to understand how things fit together. I would like to hear him talk about it, because it would teach me something about how to look at a problem from above, instead of only from inside it.
I also want to say something about his marriage to Tao Hong, and about his family life. He keeps his private life quiet, and I respect that. He does not use his family to get attention, and he does not talk about them in every interview. He focuses on his work, and then he goes home. That is a healthy way to live, especially for a famous person. Fame can eat up a person’s private life if they let it. Xu Zheng does not let it. He protects his family, and he protects his own time. I think that is a wise choice, and it is one reason he has been able to work for so long without burning out.
In the end, what I take from Xu Zheng is a simple and hopeful idea. It is never too late to learn a new skill, and it is never too late to change direction. He was a stage actor, then a television actor, then a film director, then a producer, and at each step he learned something new. He did not stay in one safe place. He kept moving, kept learning, and kept trusting his own taste. That is what I want to remember about him. He did not become successful by being lucky. He became successful by being patient, by being brave, and by being willing to start again. That is a lesson for anyone who feels stuck in their work. You can learn something new. You can try a different path. You can be forty years old and still begin again, and you can succeed. Xu Zheng proved it, and his films are the proof. I also think about Lost in Russia, and about the relationship between a mother and a son. That is a subject that many people understand, because most of us have a complicated relationship with our parents. We love them, and we also argue with them, and we do not always know how to say what we feel. Xu Zheng’s film shows that a long train journey can give a mother and a son time to talk, to listen, and to understand each other a little better. I find that moving, because it says that it is never too late to repair a relationship, even if it has been difficult for many years. That is a hopeful message, and it is one that many families need to hear.
I also want to say something about his decision to release Lost in Russia online, when cinemas were closed. That was a brave and generous decision, because it meant giving up a great deal of money. He chose to let people watch the film at home, for free, during a holiday when they were stuck inside. I think that was a kind thing to do, and it showed that Xu Zheng cares about his audience, not only about his profits. A filmmaker who puts his audience first is a filmmaker who deserves respect, and Xu Zheng earned a great deal of respect for that choice.
There is another thing I want to say about Xu Zheng, and that is about his sense of humour. He is funny, but he is not silly. His humour comes from understanding people, from seeing their flaws and their hopes, and from showing them with kindness. I think that is the best kind of humour, because it makes people laugh at themselves in a gentle way, and it helps them to feel less alone. When I watch his comedies, I laugh, and I also recognise myself in his characters, and that recognition makes the laughter deeper and more honest.
I also think about his work with young directors, and I want to praise it, because it is easy for a successful person to ignore young people. Xu Zheng does not ignore them. He helps them, he produces their films, and he shares what he has learned. That is a generous use of success, and I wish more successful people did it. The future of any industry depends on young people, and older people who help them are doing important work. Xu Zheng understands that, and his help has already brought new talent into Chinese cinema.
Finally, I want to say that Xu Zheng’s story teaches me that it is never too late to change direction. He was a stage actor, then a television actor, then a director, then a producer, and at each step he learned something new. He did not stay in one safe place. He kept moving, kept learning, and kept trusting his own taste. I will remember that the next time I feel stuck in my own work. I will tell myself that I can learn something new, that I can try a different path, and that I can succeed, even if I am older than I was when I started. Xu Zheng proved it, and his films are the proof. I also think about Lost in Hong Kong, and about sequels, because sequels are hard. Everyone wants the same feeling as the first film, but they also want something new, and those two wishes do not always go together. Xu Zheng tried to give audiences both, by changing the city and the characters while keeping the humour. I think he did a good job, even if the sequel was not as surprising as the first film. A sequel can never be as surprising as the original, because the original was new. What matters is whether the sequel is honest and funny, and Lost in Hong Kong was both, and that is enough.
I also want to say something about scripts, and about why Xu Zheng is right to spend so much time on them. A film is only as good as its story, and a good story takes time to write. Many films fail because they were rushed, because the script was not ready, and because nobody wanted to wait. Xu Zheng waits, and he rewrites, and he talks to writers, because he knows that a good script is worth the time. I think that is a useful lesson for anyone who makes something, whether it is a film, a book, or a product. Do not rush the beginning. Get the story right first, and the rest will follow.
I also think about his acting in other directors’ films, and about how his directing helps his acting. When you have directed a film, you understand what a director needs from an actor. You know to arrive prepared, to listen, and to trust the director’s vision. Xu Zheng brings that understanding to every role he plays for someone else, and directors notice it. They like working with an actor who understands their job, because it makes the whole production smoother. That is a kind of professionalism that comes only from having done both jobs, and Xu Zheng has done both well.
Finally, I want to say that Xu Zheng reminds me that a good story is the most important thing in any film. You can have famous actors, big budgets, and beautiful locations, but if the story is weak, the film will fail. Xu Zheng knows that, and he builds his films on strong stories about ordinary people, their families, and their problems. I will remember that, and I will look for the story first, whenever I watch a film, or whenever I try to tell a story myself. The story comes first, and everything else follows. Xu Zheng proved it, and his films are the proof.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was Xu Zheng born and what did he study?
Xu Zheng was born on 18 April 1972 in Shanghai, and he studied acting at the Shanghai Theatre Academy before working on the stage.
What was Xu Zheng’s first film as a director?
His first film as a director was Lost in Thailand from 2012, a comedy about two businessmen in Thailand that earned more than one billion yuan.
Why was Lost in Thailand important for Chinese cinema?
Lost in Thailand was important because it showed that a modest comedy with good acting and a good story could earn more than big action films, changing how producers saw comedy.
What is Dying to Survive about?
Dying to Survive, from 2018, is about Cheng Yong, a shop owner played by Xu Zheng who sells cheap medicine from India to cancer patients who cannot afford official drugs.
Did Xu Zheng only make comedies?
No, although he is famous for comedies, Xu Zheng also made the serious drama Dying to Survive and produced films by young directors, showing a serious and thoughtful side.
Who is Xu Zheng married to?
Xu Zheng is married to the actress Tao Hong, and they have a daughter, while keeping their family life mostly out of public view.
What did Xu Zheng learn from working on the stage?
Working on the stage taught Xu Zheng discipline, honesty, how to build a story, and how to work with actors, all of which helped him later as a film director.
