Xu Zheng, born on April 18, 1972, in Shanghai, China, is a celebrated Chinese actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1994 and initially gained fame for his comedic roles in television series like Sunny Piggy (2000). This show not only brought him national recognition but also introduced him to his future wife, actress Tao Hong. Xu transitioned to films and became a household name with his directorial debut, Lost in Thailand (2012), which he also co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in. The movie became a massive success, breaking box office records in China. He followed this with other hits like Lost in Hong Kong (2015) and Dying to Survive (2018), showcasing his versatility as both an actor and filmmaker. Known for his ability to blend humor with social commentary, Xu Zheng has become one of China's most influential figures in the entertainment industry. His works often explore themes of human connection and societal issues, resonating with audiences both in China and internationally.
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Biography from TMDB.
- April 18, 1972 (54)
- Shanghai, China
- Actor and producer, also director and writer
- 28 on MovieCove · 88 credits in all
What are Zheng Xu's films like?
Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 2 · Earnest 20
A split, not a type: Light 14 · Serious 7 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 13 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 0
Gentle 6 · Charged 14 · Intense 5
Steady 10 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 5
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 11
Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 4
Casual 11 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 11 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 4
Resolved 19 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 9 of 13 analyzed roles.
Show the 13 rolesHide the roles
- Heroas Chenggong Li in Lost on Journey (2010)
- Threshold guardianas Sam in Love in the Buff (2012)
- Heroas Xu Lang in Lost in Thailand (2012)
- Heroas Pan Xiao in No Man's Land (2013)
- Heroas Xu Ruining in The Great Hypnotist (2014)
- Tricksteras Hao Yi in Breakup Buddies (2014)
- Allyas Hao Yi in Breakup Buddies (2014)
- Heroas Xu Lai in Lost in Hong Kong (2015)
- Heroas Cheng Yong in Dying to Survive (2018)
- Heraldas Alien in Crazy Alien (2019)
- Heroas Mr. Bai in B for Busy (2021)
- Heroas Zhao Pingyang in My Country, My Parents (2021)
- Heroas Gao Zhilei in Upstream (2024)
Moods and endings
- Happy13
- Bittersweet10
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Zheng Xu's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).
- Dying to Survive (2018) · actor, producer · free
- Ash Is Purest White (2018) · actor · free
- How Long Will I Love U (2018) · actor, producer · free
- The Island (2018) · actor · free
- Lost in Thailand (2012) · actor, director, writer, producer · free
- My Country, My Parents (2021) · actor, director, writer · free
- Lost in Hong Kong (2015) · actor, director, producer · free
- Legend of Kung Fu Rabbit (2011) · actor · free
Subscription and free streaming for Zheng Xu's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
88 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Ran Shao ba! Ba Ba(2026)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
See You Later... Maybe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Shadow(2025)
Her Turn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Fake Dad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
The King of Stand-up Comedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Upstream(2024)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Farewell, Beijing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Breaking Through (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Nice View(2022)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Mahua's Fun Age (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
B for Busy(2021)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Super Sketch Show Featured (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
My Country, My Parents(2021)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Memory Dissection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Lady Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
My People, My Homeland(2020)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Lost in Russia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Adoring(2019)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
My People, My Country(2019)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Youth Periplous (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Crazy Alien(2019)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
The Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Ash Is Purest White(2018)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The Island(2018)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Dying to Survive(2018)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Drug Hunter(2018)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
How Long Will I Love U(2018)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
A or B (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Rock & Roast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Back to Field (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Roast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Eating on the Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Thirteen Talks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Xuan Zang(2016)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Trump Card (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Twenty-Four Hours (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Lost in Hong Kong(2015)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
真心英雄 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Go Fighting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Breakup Buddies(2014)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
The Great Hypnotist(2014)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
No Man's Land(2013)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Fake Fiction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
One Night Surprise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Lost in Thailand(2012)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
The Bachelor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Meet the In-Laws(2012)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Love in the Buff(2012)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Legend of Kung Fu Rabbit(2011)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Hee Travels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Lost on Journey(2010)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
老爸快跑 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Mars Baby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
One Night in Supermarket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
I'm a Boss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Crazy Racer(2009)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Fit Lover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Crossed Lines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
好男当家 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Unfinished Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
结婚进行曲 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Call For Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
铁将军阿贵 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Crazy Stone(2006)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
The Lucky Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
三揭皇榜 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
To Live to Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
家和万事兴之快乐情缘 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
The Chinese Banquet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Love From Time Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
素女的故事 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
新七侠五义 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Li Wei the Magistrate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
No Lonely Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
爸爸叫红旗 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Sunny Piggy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
上海沧桑 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Criminal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
红尘往事 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
战国红颜 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
风生水起 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Blush (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
一部佳作的诞生 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
游刃有余 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
狩谎 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
糖心菠萝 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 88 titles, 84 of them dated from 1996 to 2026; peak year 2019.
Biggest box office
Dying to Survive (2018)
Highest rated
Dying to Survive (2018)
Most popular right now
Shadow (2025)
Film career
Peak 2019 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 5 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 2006Screen debut· Crazy Stone
- 2007First top-billed film· Call For Love
- 2018Career best· Dying to Survive
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Zheng Xu's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of the 26 of 27 with a score; across their 24 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th11
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
11 of their 27 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser11
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed11
Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 19 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 41. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Zheng Xu work with?
People who share at least 2 of Zheng Xu's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hao Ning shares the most, 10.
Directors
- Hao NingShared titles: Nice View (2022), My People, My Homeland (2020), Crazy Alien (2019), My People, My Country (2019), Dying to Survive (2018), The Island (2018), Breakup Buddies (2014), No Man's Land (2013), Crazy Racer (2009), Crazy Stone (2006)See all 10 shared titles with Hao Ning
- Muye WenShared titles: Nice View (2022), My People, My Country (2019), Dying to Survive (2018)See all 3 shared titles with Muye Wen
Writers
- Aina XingShared titles: Crazy Alien (2019), The Island (2018), Breakup Buddies (2014), No Man's Land (2013), Crazy Racer (2009)See all 5 shared titles with Aina Xing
- Keke HeShared titles: Upstream (2024), My Country, My Parents (2021), My People, My Homeland (2020), My People, My Country (2019)See all 4 shared titles with Keke He
- Weilin HuaShared titles: My Country, My Parents (2021), My People, My Homeland (2020), My People, My Country (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Weilin Hua
- Ang WangShared titles: My People, My Homeland (2020), Crazy Alien (2019), My People, My Country (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Ang Wang
Actors
- Huang BoShared titles: My People, My Homeland (2020), Crazy Alien (2019), My People, My Country (2019), The Island (2018), Breakup Buddies (2014), No Man's Land (2013), Lost in Thailand (2012), Crazy Racer (2009), Crazy Stone (2006)See all 9 shared titles with Huang Bo
- Hong TaoShared titles: Adoring (2019), My People, My Country (2019), How Long Will I Love U (2018), No Man's Land (2013), Lost in Thailand (2012)See all 5 shared titles with Hong Tao
- Teng ShenShared titles: My Country, My Parents (2021), My People, My Homeland (2020), Crazy Alien (2019), Breakup Buddies (2014)See all 4 shared titles with Teng Shen
- Baoqiang WangShared titles: My People, My Homeland (2020), The Island (2018), Lost in Thailand (2012), Lost on Journey (2010)See all 4 shared titles with Baoqiang Wang
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Boxue WangShared titles: Nice View (2022), My People, My Homeland (2020), My People, My Country (2019), Dying to Survive (2018)See all 4 shared titles with Boxue Wang
- Fei PengShared titles: My Country, My Parents (2021), My People, My Homeland (2020), How Long Will I Love U (2018), Lost in Hong Kong (2015)See all 4 shared titles with Fei Peng
- Yuan DuShared titles: Crazy Alien (2019), No Man's Land (2013), Crazy Racer (2009), Crazy Stone (2006)See all 4 shared titles with Yuan Du
- Chao HuangShared titles: Nice View (2022), My People, My Country (2019), Dying to Survive (2018)See all 3 shared titles with Chao Huang
Producers
- Ruifang LiuShared titles: Shadow (2025), B for Busy (2021), My Country, My Parents (2021), My People, My Homeland (2020), My People, My Country (2019), Dying to Survive (2018), How Long Will I Love U (2018)See all 7 shared titles with Ruifang Liu
- Yibing WangShared titles: Nice View (2022), My People, My Homeland (2020), Crazy Alien (2019), Dying to Survive (2018), Breakup Buddies (2014)See all 5 shared titles with Yibing Wang
- Maojun ZengShared titles: My Country, My Parents (2021), My People, My Homeland (2020), My People, My Country (2019), Dying to Survive (2018)See all 4 shared titles with Maojun Zeng
- Ning LiShared titles: My Country, My Parents (2021), Adoring (2019), My People, My Country (2019), The Great Hypnotist (2014)See all 4 shared titles with Ning Li
Mixed roles
- Guan HuShared titles: My People, My Country (2019), The Island (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Guan Hu
