Cheng Lei is C-Drama’s new daddy — here’s everything you need to know about him

At first glance, Cheng Lei’s appearance doesn’t immediately fit into the typical bad boy archetypes or eye candy category within the C-drama sphere. Yet, there’s something about the Chinese actor’s magnetic screen presence in The Legend of the Female General and in his latest drama The Lament of Autumn, that keeps us intrigued and wanting to know more about the man behind the characters.

Also known as Ryan Cheng, the 32-year-old actor first shot to fame with his supporting role as Gong Shangjue in the romance period drama titled My Journey to You (2023), featuring Zhang Linghe and Esther Yu as the leads. Most recently, he stars in The Lament of Autumn as the leading man. 

Since his debut, Cheng has bagged several awards including the Weibo Breakthrough Actor of the Year 2025, cementing his position as one of the faces to watch. Read on for fascinating details about Cheng Lei.

Cheng Lei is not his real name

Cheng Lei is the professional stage name that we’re all familiar with, but his real name is Yang Huixiang. Born on 18 December 1993 in Guangdong, China, Cheng is a Saggitarius. His horoscope sign is known to be energetic, generous and very loyal—all of which sound like good husband material. 

He’s a fast language learner   

During his visit to Malaysia in September 2026, the iQIYI International Global Ambassador was asked to greet his fans in various dialects and languages including Hakka, Cantonese, Malay and English. He nailed each one with confidence and charisma, igniting waves of cheers from the crowd off stage. 

He teases his fans

Here’s proof that celebrities are just humans who can have fun. While giving away cakes to his fans, Cheng was caught on camera trying to “throw” one of the plates towards the crowd. Of course, he didn’t toss it out. He was simply being playful, joking around with his supporters who enjoyed his mischievous side. 

He’s probably a Westlifer

Since starting his Instagram account in 2023, Cheng hasn’t been posting regularly. However, he’s dedicated a grid to Westlife, and it’s a series of photos taken during the boyband’s concert. He also captioned it with four orange heart emojis, showing his support for Westlife. 

He’s a photography buff

Aside from acting, photography seems to be the other passion for Cheng. He’s often spotted holding on to cameras on set, shooting everything from sceneries to fellow actors. His photos have earned praises from netizens who were surprised by his photography skills after seeing how stunning Wang Churan looked through his lenses. A man with multiple talents? A green flag definitely.