Cheng is an oil painter, print maker, and mixed media artist who studied under Wu Zuaren and Ai Zhongxin. Cheng is considered a member of The Yunnan School. In the late 1980's and early 1990's this new school of modern art emerged from China. Nudity, abstraction, religious imagery, and decorative style were part of The Yunnan School artists' work. These elements were contradictory to traditional painting in the People's Republic of China. Artists were pushing for a cultural revolution in Chinese art and this movement is responsible for the interest in Chinese modern art today. The leading Yunnan School artist, Shaoguang Ding recognized the growing popularity for this work in the United States, and moved to the U.S., followed by Ji Cheng and Jiang Tiefeng. Yunnan artists were successfully selling in the U.S. art market and continued to break auction records. He continues to teach at Tiamjin Academy of Fine Art.