In 1978, when former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping proposed that children could take over their parents' careers after they retired, Zheng stepped into his mother's footsteps, becoming a mechanic in a textile factory in Shanghai. As the authorities were impressed by his previous experience, Zheng was quickly promoted to a Communist Youth League leader of the factory.

In this role, he was responsible for organizing activities such as ballroom dancing, reading and stamp collecting. He also took the opportunity to form a photography group comprising just eight people. Group members were provided with a room for printing and enlarging the photos.

"We traveled around Shanghai and its neighboring cities, like Hangzhou and Suzhou, to take photos of scenery, people and daily life, and participated in photography competitions," says Zheng.