Chinese actor Cheng Yi will turn 36-years-old tomorrow and, as you would probably expect if you follow the various Chinese streaming services’ Weibo accounts, both YOUKU and iQIYI dropped birthday greetings visuals to help him celebrate.
First, Cheng Yi got a very nice birthday greeting from YOUKU that featured stills from two of his hit C-dramas, along with reminders about his past work, and a heads up about his upcoming new drama Hunting Lies.
The production company/streaming service commented:
Today, Youku is right on time, wishing Cheng Yi a happy birthday [cheering].
From the deeply devoted Yu Sifeng (Cheng Yi’s character in Love and Redemption), to the refined and noble Emperor Ying Yuan (Immortal Samsara), from the gentle and healing Fu Yunshen (South Wind Knows), to the dark and intense Xie Huai’an (The Vendetta of An) – every character Cheng Yi portrays is full of charm.
May the new year bring you peace and joy, may everything you wish for go smoothly, may every path you take bloom with flowers. Stay true to your heart, and journey toward farther and higher places.
First, come and reserve our new drama #HuntingLies#, then relive classic masterpieces like The Vendetta of An, South Wind Knows, Immortal Samsara Parts 1 and 2, Love and Redemption, The Imperial Age, Marvelous City (a documentary where actors talk about their hometowns), and more with @Youku, experiencing a day accompanied by the many sides of ee! More surprises are being unlocked!
It was then iQIYI’s turn to release their birthday greetings, which came in the form of two stills from the next Cheng Yi drama to stream on their platform — the upcoming historical adventure River of No Return, which is currently scheduled to premiere on iQIYI some time in 2026.
RELATED: Six stills of Cheng Yi as Wangquan Fu Gui in Sword and Beloved released
iQIYI commented about the two stills:
#RiverOfNoReturn# Eyebrows embody the spirit of mountains and rivers, sleeves embrace the style of the past and present. Wishing Cheng Yi a joyous birthday, may the sun and moon shine brightly together, and may the mountains and rivers celebrate in harmony!
Cheng Yi’s career up until now
Now at almost 36, Cheng Yi’s career has taken off in leaps and bounds over the last decade or so.
In the last 10 years alone, (I counted) he has been a main lead in 17 dramas, and has only once had a supporting role – in 2022’s The Imperial Age.
His main roles include Ling Jing Yu in both seasons of Noble Aspirations, Zhang Qi Ling in The Lost Tomb 2, Yu Si Feng in Love and Redemption, Xiao Cheng Xu in The Promise of Chang’An, Guan Chong Gui in Faith Makes Great, Qi Yan in Stand By Me, Tang Zhou / Emperor Ying Yuan / Xuan Ye in Immortal Samasara, and Li Lian Hua / Li Xiang Yi in Mysterious Lotus Casebook.
In the last year alone, Cheng Yi has also starred in The Journey of Legend as Xiao Qiu Shui, in Sword and Beloved as Wangquan Fu Gui, and as Xie Huai An in the absolutely epic The Vendetta of An.
A drama that, only a couple of months ago, had already earned over 1.2 billion views in China alone.
Yes, he is pretty much stuck in wuxia and xianxia roles but, as he is so damned good in every one he accepts, I can’t say I have any complaints about that. Do you?
There also aren’t many western actors who can say they have starred in three major drama series in one year, and in a huge number of others before that, are there?
Then again, Cheng Yi is one of the most talented Chinese actors of his generation.
So, a very Happy Birthday to Cheng Yi on his 36th birthday, and hopefully I will still be here posting about the even larger number of dramas he has starred in many many years from now.
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