# Zhang Xincheng

Zhang Xincheng (Chinese: 张新成, born 24 August 1995), also known by his English name Steven Zhang, is a Chinese actor. His first major role was that of Lin Yang in the campus web series My Huckleberry Friends (2017). Zhang is best known for his roles as Li Yubing in the sports drama Skate into Love and He Ziqiu in the family drama Go Ahead, both of which aired in 2020 and garnered him several awards for his work that year.

## Early life

Zhang was born and raised in Jingzhou, Hubei, China. He aspired to be a professional dancer as a child and eventually moved to Beijing in 2008 to attend the Affiliated Secondary School of the Beijing Dance Academy. Zhang notably placed first in college entrance examinations in 2014 for several courses offered by top performing arts colleges in China such as the Central Academy of Drama, Beijing Film Academy, People's Liberation Army Academy of Art, and Shanghai Theatre Academy. He subsequently attended the Central Academy of Drama and graduated with a bachelor's degree in musical theatre.

## Career

In 2013, Zhang made his acting debut in the short film School Bus.
In 2014, he released two singles: "Be Here for You" as the soundtrack to the film The Story of He Jinye, and the following year he released "Believe Love Still Exists" as the soundtrack to the web series Heartbreak Emergency Department. He went on to star in several short films and signed with the entertainment company EE-Media in 2015.
In 2016, Zhang starred in his first television drama Shuttle Love Millennium, where he gained attention for his performance.
In 2017, Zhang starred in the critically acclaimed campus web series My Huckleberry Friends. He won the award of "Drama Newcomer of the Year" at the iQIYI Scream Night for his performance.
In 2018, Zhang starred in the esports drama The Strongest Men of God.
In 2019, Zhang starred in the youth historical drama Young Blood.
In 2020, Zhang starred in the hit sports romance drama Skate into Love, alongside Janice Wu, portraying a collegiate ice hockey player. He then co-starred with Lin Yun in the music romance drama Symphony's Romance, adapted from the Japanese manga Nodame Cantabile, in which he played a genius conductor. Zhang also starred in and helped produce the slice-of-life family drama Go Ahead. Forbes China listed him in their 30 Under 30 list for 2020 which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields.
In 2021, Zhang participated in the sixth season of Who's the Murderer. On February 28, he was awarded Weibo's Enterprising Artist of the Year at the 2020 Sina Weibo Night in Shanghai. In May, he began filming for the series Justice In The Dark, in which he co-starred with Fu Xinbo. On June 17, the romantic comedy The Day of Becoming You, starring Zhang and Liang Jie, was aired. On September 8, the commercial war drama of the Republic of China The Justice, starring Zhang alongside Cai Wenjing and Zhang Zhijian, was broadcast on Hunan Satellite TV. In December, he joined the 2021-2022 Hunan Satellite TV New Year's Eve Gala, and performed "Red Ling" with Chinese music artist Fang Jinlong at the New Year's Eve Party.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes/Ref. |
| 2013 | School Bus | 校车 | Han Yuyang | Short film |
| 2014 | Fool | 傻瓜 | Yang Sensen | Short film |
| 2014 | The Winter of Seventeen | 冬日十七岁 | Yang Yunfeng | Short film |
| 2017 | Chosen | 活到最后 | | Short film |
| 2017 | Intelligent Machines Girlfriend | 贴身萌妹腹黑计划 | Cui Ze | Web film |
| 2023 | All These Years | 这么多年 | Li Ran | His first role in a full-length film |
| 2023 | Elemental | 疯狂元素城 | Wade Ripple | Dubbed in the Chinese Mainland version |
| 2023 | Endless Journey | 三大队 | Qin Zhe | |
| 2024 | The Wild Robot | 荒野机器人 | Fink | Dubbed in the Chinese Mainland version |
| 2025 | Detective Chinatown 1900 | 唐探1900 | Bai Zhenbang | |

### Television series

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Network. |
| 2016 | Shuttle Love Millennium | 相爱穿梭千年2：月光下的交换 | Li Hailun | Hunan TV |
| 2017 | My Huckleberry Friends | 你好，旧时光 | Lin Yang | iQIYI |
| 2018 | The Strongest Men of God | 最强男神 | Wu Zewen | Youku |
| 2019 | Young Blood | 大宋少年志 | Yuan Zhongxin | Hunan TV, Mango TV, iQIYI |
| 2020 | Skate into Love | 冰糖炖雪梨 | Li Yubing | Jiangsu TV, Zhejiang TV, Youku |
| 2020 | Symphony's Romance | 蜗牛与黄鹂鸟 | Li Zhenyan | Hunan TV |
| 2020 | Go Ahead | 以家人之名 | He Ziqiu | Hunan TV |
| 2021 | The Day of Becoming You | 变成你的那一天 | Jiang Yi | iQIYI |
| 2021 | Refinement of Faith | 百炼成钢 | Jiao Yulu | Hunan TV |
| 2021 | The Justice | 光芒 | Cheng Yizhi | Hunan TV |
| 2022 | The Murder in Kairoutei | 回廊亭 | Cheng Cheng | Youku |
| 2022 | The Heart of Genius | 天才基本法 | Pei Zhi | CCTV-8, iQIYI |
| 2022 | Bright Future | 县委大院 | Lin Zhiwei | CCTV-1, Tencent Video, Migu |
| 2023 | Justice In The Dark | 光·渊 | Pei Su | Youku |
| 2023 | Young Blood II | 大宋少年志2 | Yuan Zhongxin | Hunan TV, Mango TV |
| 2024 | Tender Light | 微暗之火 | Zhou Luo | CCTV-8, Youku |
| 2024 | You Are My Lover Friend | 舍不得星星 | Jiang Shiyan | Tencent Video |
| TBA | Created in China | 艰难的制造 | Liu Jun | iQIYI, Tencent Video |
| TBA | Coming to Myself | 待我醒来时 | Yin Feng / You Yingjun | Tencent Video |
| TBA | The South Bureau | 南部档案 | Zhang Haiyan (Zhang Hailou) | iQIYI |

### Variety shows

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes/Ref. |
| 2020 | Little Forest | 奇妙小森林 | Cast member | |
| 2021 | Who's the Murderer Season 6 | 明星大侦探6 | Guest | |

## Discography

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Notes/Ref. |
| 2014 | "Be Here for You" | 等你擦肩 | The Story of He Jinye OST |
| 2015 | "Believe Love Still Exists" | 相信爱，还存在 | Heartbreak Emergency Department OST |
| 2018 | "Cheer for Youth" | 打Call青春 | |
| 2019 | "What Dreams Are Like" | 梦想的模样 | Young Blood OST |
| 2020 | "A Ray of Hope" | 曙光 | Skate into Love OST |
| 2020 | "Tempting Heart" | 心动 | Skate into Love OST |
| 2020 | "Heart Warms Heart Equals the World" | 心暖心等于世界 | |
| 2020 | "Hand in Hand" | 手足 | Charity song for those who fought against the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021 | "My Soul" | "My Soul" | The Day Of Becoming You OST |
| 2021 | "Brilliant" | 光芒 | The Justice OST |
| 2021 | "Glimmer" | 微光 | The Justice OST |
| 2022 | "A Secret About You" | 与你有关的秘密 | Promotional song for When You Be Me |
| 2023 | "Shattered Time" | 时间碎了 | All These Years OST |
| 2023 | "Stay With Me" (with Ju Jingyi) | 伴 / Stay With Me | Rising With the Wind OST |
| 2024 | "Wearing a Straw Cloak in the Misty Rain" | 一蓑烟雨 | Promotional song for the musical Da Jiang Dong Qu |
| 2024 | "Stargazing" (with Tia Ray) | 看星星 | You Are My Lover Friend OST |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Awarding Body/Event | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2017 | 7th iQIYI Scream Night | Drama Newcomer of the Year | — | Won |
| 2019 | "Praise The New Era" New Youth Model Artist Glory Ceremony | New Youth Role Model Artist | — | Won |
| 2020 | 7th The Actors of China Awards | Excellent Actor (Emerald Award/Green Group) | — | Won |
| 2020 | Forbes China | Forbes 30 Under 30 (Entertainment and Sports) | — | Won |
| 2020 | GQ Men of the Year (China) | Popular Actor of the Year | — | Won |
| 2020 | 2020 Sohu Fashion Awards | National Drama Male Star of the Year | — | Nominated |
| 2021 | 2020 Weibo Awards | Enterprising Actor of the Year | — | Won |
| 2021 | 2021 China TV Drama Awards | Outstanding Actor of the Year | The Justice | Won |
| 2022 | 35th Huading Awards | Best Actor in Chinese Modern Dramas | The Justice | Nominated |
| 2023 | CMG 1st Chinese TV Drama Annual Ceremony | Breakthrough Actor of the Year | Bright Future | Nominated |
| 2023 | 1st "New Horn" TV Drama Director's Night | Breakthrough Actor of the Year | — | Won |
| 2023 | 2023 Television Series of China Quality Ceremony | Quality Drama Star with Full Media Attention | — | Won |
| 2023 | 2023 Sohu Fashion Awards | Fashion Influential Male Artist of the Year | — | Won |
| 2024 | 2024 QQ Music Awards | Peak Heat Male Singer of the Year | — | Won |
| 2024 | 37th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Newcomer | Endless Journey | Nominated |
| 2024 | 32nd China TV Golden Eagle Award | Best Supporting Actor | Bright Future | Nominated |
| 2024 | 2024 Weibo TV & Internet Video Summit | Expressive Actor of the Year | — | Won |
| 2025 | 2024 Tencent Video All Star Night | Leaping Artist of the Year | — | Won |
| 2025 | 2024 Weibo Awards | Expressive Actor of the Year | Tender Light; You Are My Lover Friend | Won |