Ronald Cheng

Zheng Zhongji, born April 17, 1972 in Hong Kong, has won multiple music and film awards in Hong Kong and Taiwan and is a versatile entertainer. Influenced by his father Zheng Donghan, he grew up around recording studios, which laid the foundation for his later music and acting career.

In secondary school he formed a band with classmates and served as the lead singer. As an adult he worked as a summer assistant in recording studios, contributing backing vocals to albums by well-known singers such as Jacky Cheung, Alan Tam, Faye Wong (note: original names listed in Chinese: 张学友、谭咏麟、陈慧娴、李克勤), and Leon Lai. This led to opportunities to work with veteran vocalists and helped him gradually stand out in the music industry.

In 1995, during the recording of Jacky Cheung’s project "Allergic World" (过敏世界), producer Au Ding-yuk (欧丁玉) noticed him and had him sing backing vocals for the album. Afterwards, Zheng Zhongji drew attention for his performance on the song "Qu Dao Bing" (屈到病). On Au’s recommendation he submitted demos to several music producers and was ultimately signed by producer Chou Zhiping (周治平).

In April 1996 Zheng released his first Mandarin-language album, Zuo You Wei Nan (左右为难), which included the track "Like a Song" (像一首歌) and a title duet with Jacky Cheung. Later that year he released a second Mandarin album, Don't Love Me (别爱我); he co-composed "Longing Is Useless" (相思无用) on that record, and the title track "Don't Love Me" won the Channel V Chinese TOP20 Annual Best Song Award at the third edition of the show. In the same year he received multiple newcomer awards, including Channel V Best Newcomer and the Commercial Radio Hong Kong (叱咤乐坛) New Force Male Singer Gold Award.

In 1997 he released the Cantonese album Qing Shen (情深), which contained several signature songs. That year he also released an EP in Taiwan, The One I Love Most Isn’t You (最爱的人不是你), and sang a duet with Kelly Chen titled "Making Romance" (制造浪漫), which won the Channel V Chinese TOP20 Annual Best Song Award at the fourth edition. He continued to release albums and hold concerts in Hong Kong and Taiwan, gradually establishing an important position in the Mandarin pop scene.

In the 21st century Zheng Zhongji shifted more toward film and television. In 2000 he appeared in the film Twelve Nights (十二夜) as a photographer. He subsequently took on significant roles in multiple films, including Stephen Chow–style director Jeffrey Lau’s The Love of the Sea (越光宝盒), Deng Chao–starring The Four (四大名捕), and the Taiwan Golden Horse Award–winning Best Supporting Actor film Vulgaria (低俗喜剧) (note: original Chinese titles retained). His performances received industry recognition.

In addition to acting, Zheng has worked as a host, including hosting the TV drama You Zhao Chu Zhao (有招出招). In recent years he began trying his hand at directing and acting in his own films, releasing several projects in the 2010s such as A Long (阿龙), Diary of Youth (年少日记), and The Corpse’s Time Forty-Four (死尸死时四十四). His works span comedy, action, and drama, and his acting has received increasingly positive responses from critics and audiences.

In his personal life, Zheng Zhongji has been married twice. He first married Charlene Choi (蔡卓妍) secretly in Los Angeles in 2006; they publicly acknowledged the marriage in 2010 and later announced their divorce. In 2011 he quietly married Yusi Min (余思敏), and they had a son in 2015. In 2025 his relationship with his wife experienced changes that attracted media attention.

Zheng Zhongji has had influence across music, film, and other fields; through his professional performances and diverse body of work he has gradually become an important figure in Hong Kong and the greater Chinese-language entertainment industry.