Cheng Yuan-hai

Cheng Yuan-hai is a director and cinematographer from mainland China, born into an artistic family—his mother was a makeup artist at Xiying Studio (Western Movie Group), and his father was the head of the Xiying Actors' Troupe. In 1985, he began working at Xiying Film Studio, gradually rising from a photography assistant to a cinematographer and director, experiencing various roles along the way.
In 2002, Cheng served as the moving cameraman for Chen Kaige's film "Together," and in 2003, he was the cinematographer for the TV series "走過幸福 (Walking Through Happiness)," starring Sun Honglei. In 2005, he worked as a Steadicam operator on the film "The Promise," and in 2006, he participated in "The Prince of Himalaya," directed by Hu Xuehua. In 2008, he again served as a Steadicam operator for "he Forbidden Kingdom," directed by Rob Minkoff.
From 2009 onwards, Cheng Yuanhai collaborated with director Wang Jun on multiple film and television projects, including the TV adaptation of Lao She's classic "New Four Generations Living Together," the 2010 Sino-Japanese co-production palace drama "The Firmament of The Pleiades," and the 2012 urban romantic comedy "Husband and Wife." In 2014, he co-directed the urban romantic comedy "Honey Bee Man" with Wang Jun, and in 2016, they jointly directed the award-winning urban family drama "A Love for Separation."
Later, in 2018, Cheng co-directed the palace drama "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace," and in 2021, he directed the historical drama "Monarch Industry;The Rebel Princes." In 2022, he directed the fantasy romance costume drama "Fateful Love." Additionally, he studied under the cinematographer Shang Yong at Xiying Film Studio and benefited from Shang's guidance while shooting "Red Crag." Cheng Yuanhai's works include several popular dramas such as "家 (Home)," "The Great Time," "我的美好時代 (My Wonderful Era)," and "我兒是朵奇葩 (My Son is a Unique Flower)." In 2018, he was involved in the production of the documentary "Together in Heart: Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace," which aired in mainland China. In 2020, his TV series "With You" was scheduled for release on multiple platforms, followed by the premiere of "Monarch Industry;The Rebel Princess" on Youku on January 9, 2021.