A star is reborn

Zheng Jun recently announced in Beijing that he will launch his Eloping national tour in June.[Photo by Zou Hong/provided to China Daily]

Fatherhood

When asked about his life during the past 10 years, he says that he spends hours doing yoga and meditation.

A father of two－an 18-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son－Zheng has transformed into a caring dad.

Fatherhood also inspired Zheng to launch a graphic novel titled Rock Dog, which is about a Tibetan mastiff that pursues a music dream.

In 2016, the book was adapted into a 3-D animated film, a Sino-US production directed by Ash Brannon－director of Toy Story 2.

"My daughter loves cartoons. The book started with telling that story to my daughter at bedtime. I was not a good father－behaving like a rocker, often going out and drinking all night. I wanted to change and do something for her," says Zheng.

In the book, the dog is named Metal, which is something of a self-portrait of Zheng.

Zheng was born in Xi'an to an intellectual family. His grandfather was a military officer, and his parents were both university professors.

The second child in his family, Zheng learned the violin and painting since childhood.

In 1987, he enrolled to study international trade in Hangzhou Dianzi University, where he was introduced to Western rock music by his American teachers.

In 1992, while waiting for his visa so he could go to the United States to further his studies, Zheng made a bold decision, leaving his home and hitting the road with a small performing band.

"I just wanted to sing and play the guitar then. My family was against my idea but I just left," he recalls.

For nearly a month, he traveled around remote and poor villages in Shaanxi, performing onstage as a singer and guitarist.

He also did other jobs, such as constructing makeshift stages and setting lights.

"The condition was really bad. We had to do everything by ourselves. We even didn't have a formal stage," he says. "But I was very excited to live a gypsy lifestyle."