Chen Yupeng (Chinese: 陈宇鹏; pinyin: Chén Yǔpéng; born on January 15, 1984) is also known as Chen Zhiyi (Chinese: 陈致逸; pinyin: Chén Zhìyì). He is a Chinese composer and music producer who is most famous for creating the music for Genshin Impact, an open-world action role-playing video game made by HoYoverse. His music combines traditional Chinese instruments with Western-style orchestral music. From 2019 to 2023, he worked as a music producer at HOYO-MiX, the music studio owned by miHoYo, and led the music creation for the game.

Chen studied at Shenzhen Arts School and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He learned from experienced musicians who influenced his work later in his career. While in college, he already composed and produced music for films and television. Before starting his career, his music won awards at several events. In 2014, he started a music studio called Yupeng Music Studio. This studio worked with many recording studios and music groups in Beijing and Shanghai. It created music for companies like Click Music Ltd., Tencent, and NetEase.

In the early 2010s, Chen worked with composer Chan Kwong-wing on music for films directed by experienced filmmakers. Their music for the movie The Last Tycoon (2012), directed by Wong Jing, was nominated for the "Best Original Film Score" at the 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards. They won their first award for the music in The Founding of an Army (2017), which received the Golden Deer Award for "Best Original Music Score" at the 14th Changchun Film Festival. They also created the music for The Captain (2019), a film directed by Andrew Lau, which was one of the most popular movies in China. Chen also composed music for many films directed by Raymond Yip, most of which were horror or thriller movies.

Early life and education

Chen Zhiyi was born on January 15, 1984, in Changsha, Hunan. His mother was a singer, and she stopped her career to care for him. His father studied mathematics. At age six, Chen saw the Japanese animated film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) by Hayao Miyazaki. He did not understand the story, but the music deeply moved him and made him feel the power of music for the first time. As a child, he could hear musical notes clearly, showing his musical talent.

In 1996, at age twelve, Chen joined Shenzhen Arts School. He studied the clarinet with teachers Jiang Baocheng and Tao Ran. Tao Ran, a professor at the school, had performed solo clarinet concerts and won awards for his teaching. Both Tao and Chen studied with Jiang Baocheng. At sixteen, Chen learned basic music composition from Ju Zongze, a teacher at the school who taught music theory and music reading.

In 2002, Chen moved to Shanghai and entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music with a scholarship. He first studied the clarinet, but Ju Zongze noticed Chen’s interest in writing music and suggested he switch to composition. Chen later studied Music Design and Production in the Music Engineering Department, which started in 2003. Around the same time, the conservatory invited Japanese musician Tanimura Shinji to teach there. In 2005, Chen attended one of Tanimura’s classes. He learned that Tanimura mixed Japanese folk music, traditional five-note melodies, and Western orchestra music. Tanimura’s ideas, such as "music has no borders" and "spread love’s energy," inspired Chen. Later that year, Chen joined Tanimura and seven other students to perform at Expo 2005. He helped arrange the music and played piano. In November, Chen won an award for a song event at Yangshan Port and Donghai Bridge.

Chen also studied with teachers An Dong, Chen Qiangbin, Wu Yuebei, Hu Taoyuan, Xu Jianqiang, and Qin Shile. The teaching styles of the first three teachers greatly influenced his later work. While studying, he helped An Dong create music for films and television.

In September 2006, Chen’s piece GAMES OF FANTASIA won first prize at the Music Engineering Department’s annual concert. He also received awards for creativity, teamwork, and popularity. That year, he worked with An Dong on films The Tokyo Trial and Fiery Autumn Wind. In June 2007, the department held a concert and exhibition for outstanding student works. Chen’s piece Challenging Hollywood was chosen as the best work and won first prize. Later that year, he graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music with honors and joined An Dong’s studio.

Film and television scoring career

In 2009, Chen created the music for the first season of Armor Warriors, which was directed by Zheng Guowei. The story follows five people who receive magical battle armor passed down through Chinese history. Together, they become warriors who fight against darkness to protect their world. In 2010, a film called Armor Hero Emperor was made. Zheng Guowei directed it, and Chen composed the music for it.

In 2016, Chen wrote the theme song "God's Rival" for the film Armor Hero Captor King. The lyrics were written by Zhou Bingyi and Jing Qian. Two years later, because Chen had previously composed music for Armor Warriors, he was asked to be the music director for Armor Hero Chronicles, a film that celebrated ten years since the Armor Warriors series began. In addition to creating the soundtrack, Chen also composed and sang the ending theme song, "Kaixuan."

At some point, Chen joined Click Music, a music studio in Hong Kong run by composer Chan Kwong-wing. While working there, Chen learned many different types of music, such as hip-hop, jazz, and electronic music. He and Chan Kwong-wing worked together on the music for The Last Tycoon, a 2012 movie set in early 1900s Shanghai. The story follows a businessman named Cheng Daqi and his friends as they face challenges during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Their music was nominated for the "Best Original Film Score" at the 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards.

Chen and Chan Kwong-wing also worked on the music for From Vegas to Macau (2014), a crime-comedy movie directed by Wong Jing. They also created the music for its sequels, From Vegas to Macau II (2015) and From Vegas to Macau III (2016). These films are part of the God of Gamblers series. After From Vegas to Macau III, Chen and Chan worked on the music for The Founding of an Army (2017), a historical movie directed by Andrew Lau. The film honors the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army. Their work earned them the Golden Deer Award for "Best Original Music Score" at the 14th Changchun Film Festival.

In 2019, Chen and Andrew Lau worked on The Captain, a movie based on the real-life events of Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633. This film was part of the Golden Deer Awards competition at the 15th Changchun Film Festival in 2020.

Teacher Chen Zhiyi has created music for suspense films such as The House That Never Dies and Phantom of the Theatre. His music closely matches the stories of the films and connects with audiences. His style of music is unique and stands out in the field of music composition.

The first film score Chen created on his own was for Bump in the Road, a 2013 comedy directed by Raymond Yip. The story follows a man named Zhang Kai who receives an ultrasound image of his child and travels with his brother to find the child’s mother. Chen sang on the songs "Snatch the Bouquet," "On the Road," and "Far Place."

In 2014, Chen returned to work with Raymond Yip on The House That Never Dies, a thriller based on the haunted house Chaonei No. 81. Director Yip gave Chen freedom to create the music without limits. This was a challenge because Chen had to design the music’s style, structure, and rhythm himself. Yip approved the final design of the music. The movie was very popular and became the highest-grossing Chinese horror film. In 2017, a sequel called The House That Never Dies II was made by Qian Renhao. Chen composed the ending theme song, "Soul Returns."

In January 2015, the suspense thriller Tales of Mystery was released. It was directed by Raymond Yip, Tian Meng, and Xian Xuchu. This was the first time Chen tested his creative techniques in horror music, which influenced his work on The House That Never Dies. The film is divided into three parts, each with a different musical style. The first part has a "Japanese-style creepy" feel, the second has an "American-style brutal" feel, and the third is "heartwarming with emotions."

In 2016, Raymond Yip directed Phantom of the Theatre, a thriller similar to his previous films. The story follows a haunted theater where the spirits of a performance group that died in a fire long ago are trapped. Chen found it difficult to make the music both rich and simple. He also created four themes for the soundtrack: fate, love, and the ordinary and magical sides

Game music production

In 2015, Chen started working as a music producer for Moonlight Blade, a martial arts-themed MMORPG created by Tencent Games. He worked under the direction of music director Yang Jie, who emphasized the importance of musical innovation. Chen pushed himself to create high-quality music by using new instruments, including traditional Chinese ones, which he said made the game’s music feel fresh. He also included elements of Chinese folk music to develop a new style that promoted Chinese culture. As he worked on the game, he began to build a fan base. Regular communication with players helped him understand their preferences, which led him to make his music more inclusive and add more elements to it. Through these efforts, Chen developed his confidence and musical style.

Many filmmakers helped create the game’s story, martial arts actions, art style, and costumes. The game used techniques from movies. Inspired by this, Chen wanted to create landing music that matched the quality of film scores. He composed the soundtrack Thousand People, Thousand Faces, which plays when players choose and customize their character. Chen explained that this music sets the first impression of the game. It was not only based on martial arts themes but also on the excitement players feel when exploring the game world. He used musical ideas from Final Fantasy to help shape the track. In February 2017, Chen released an album containing his work for Moonlight Blade from 2015 to 2017, including Thousand People, Thousand Faces. Later, he adapted the song into Wind of the World, which became the theme for the The World of Swinging Swords competition in November 2017.

In 2018, Chen composed the theme song Dreams of Farewell for Yihua, a martial arts sect players can join in Moonlight Blade. The song was based on Treading the Waves in the Sea, a previous track by Liang Bangyan. This was a challenge because the theme was not originally written for singing, and Chen wanted to adapt the work of a respected composer he admired. For the first time, he invited Cui Zhi'en, a composer from Beijing, to help with the song. He also mixed the track himself after each revision, as new ideas kept emerging. The song was written by Wubi and performed by Zhou Shen.

In 2019, Chen produced the Taibai sect theme Saying Sword. Wang Yibo provided vocals for the song. Folk music was performed by Qingqin Qingqing, and the International Master Philharmonic Orchestra played string instruments. Saying Sword was Chen’s final work for Moonlight Blade before creating the soundtrack for Genshin Impact.

In 2019, the video game company miHoYo hired Chen to produce the soundtrack for Genshin Impact through their in-house music studio, HOYO-MiX. This was Chen’s first major video game project, which he described as a difficult challenge. The game’s open-world environment includes regions inspired by different world cultures. For each region, Chen combined traditional folk music with Western musical styles. During early development, the game included two regions: Mondstadt and Liyue. Mondstadt was inspired by medieval European architecture and culture. Chen used Impressionist musical language, including piano, tin whistle, and medieval lute instruments. The Mondstadt soundtrack was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Chen attended the scoring sessions in London and conducted some pieces, including the Genshin Impact Main Theme. Liyue was inspired by Eastern fantasy and used Chinese folk music elements, such as traditional instruments, pentatonic scales, and ancient melodies, combined with Western romantic harmonies. The Liyue soundtrack was performed by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. An Dong, a mentor from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, supervised the scoring sessions. Chen enjoyed composing combat music, using techniques like polyphony and drawing from composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven.

In November 2020, Chen expressed disappointment that Genshin Impact was not nominated for "Best Original Soundtrack" at The Game Awards 2020. However, he expressed pride in being a Chinese composer. Later, he received the "Outstanding Artist – Newcomer/Breakthrough" award at the Annual Game Music Awards 2020, hosted by the music journalism website Video Game Music Online (VGMO). He also discussed future music-related events, including concerts. The first Genshin Impact concert was held online in October 2021 to celebrate the game’s first anniversary. Belgian composer and conductor Dirk Brossé, who had conducted Chen’s nominated work The Curse of Blood at the 2019 World Soundtrack Awards, was among the performers.

In 2022, several Genshin Impact soundtracks, including Chen’s Liyue, Rapid as Wildfires, and Contemplation in Snow, were included in the 2022 Winter Olympics music library for use in sports exhibitions. Contemplation in Snow was featured in a promotional video for the Beijing National Speed Skating Oval, a competition venue built for the event.

On September 12, 2023, Chen announced on his Sina Weibo and Bilibili profiles that he had decided to leave miHoYo and its music studio, HOYO-MiX, to pursue personal interests. He stated he would continue exploring his musical path and planned to release his own instrumental album in 2024.

On July 23, 2024, it was announced that Chen Zhiyi had been invited to compose four original soundtracks for Project Woolgatherer, a roguelite action-adventure mobile game centered on dreams. The compositions included The Neverending Dream, Dreams Aglow, To Dream's End, and So Sleeps the Soul, all featured in the game’s first original soundtrack album, A Promise of Dreams.

Chen’s involvement came at a critical time, as the production team faced challenges with the game’s music. Producer Liu Ming said, “To be honest, we couldn’t believe our ears. Chen Zhiyi is the music director of Genshin Impact.”

Personal projects

In the past, Chen Zhiyi owned a bar on Shanghai’s Huangjincheng Road, a quiet street. One night, while walking alone on the street at midnight, he had an idea for a rhythm. He shared this with his partner, Tian Chenming, who wrote lyrics that matched the rhythm well. The song had a dark sense of humor and was suitable for fast-paced, melodic rap, which was Chen’s favorite style at the time. This song was created quickly.

On April 14, 2017, Chen released two singles: “Midnight Radio” and “Time Tunnel.” He composed both songs, and Tian Chenming wrote the lyrics. They had worked together before on projects like Armor Hero Emperor (2010), Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012), and Bump in the Road (2013).

“Midnight Radio” began with a rhythm Chen imagined while walking on an empty road at night. He shared this with Tian, who wrote the lyrics. Tian later explained that the convenience store mentioned in the song is a Lawson store at the intersection of Fuxing Road and Maoming Road. The lyrics were also inspired by times when Tian smoked cigarettes on the road at night and heard the midnight radio played by a store clerk. Chen wrote “Time Tunnel” eight years before its release in 2017, as part of a plan to create ten songs to honor his younger years. He intended to dedicate these songs to people who supported him, and Tian encouraged him to release an album. Tian noted that the lyrics were written in 2009, and by 2017, the song’s style and themes had changed significantly over time.

In 2018, Chen collaborated with lyricist Jing Qian to create the song “You’re Not Here.” The song was based on a poem Jing wrote after his grandfather’s death two years earlier. When Chen first read the poem, his grandfather had also recently died. He decided to finish the song quickly after learning his grandmother was seriously ill. Before releasing the song, Chen had family members and his grandmother listen to it. He said the song was a non-commercial expression of family love and hoped others would understand his feelings without being overly curious about them.

Chen and Jing later worked on “A Cup of Moon” with music engineers He Jiade, Kaola, and mixing engineer Liu Junjie. The song was originally made for the Qingqin Qingqing band, which is why it is six minutes long. Singer Yin Lin, invited to join the project, suggested shortening the song, but Chen followed his original plan. He completed the arrangement during an eight-hour live broadcast. The recording and mixing took six months, and the song was released on October 6, 2018.

After two years of work, Chen released his first original album, Being Towards Death, on April 2, 2019. The album includes songs created over ten years and new recordings of previously released works, such as “Midnight Radio,” “Time Tunnel,” and “A Cup of Moon.” The album was funded through crowdfunding, raising 38,000 RMB, exceeding its initial goal of 30,000 RMB. Jing Qian, the lyricist and project planner, said the challenge was coordinating artists like illustrators and video creators for each song. Every song was revised at least twice, and “A Cup of Moon” was revised three times. Jing described Chen’s approach to music as “rigorous.” Column editor Xiao Xiao noted that Chen worked late into the night to refine every detail, even re-recording songs already released on NetEase Cloud.

On July 12, 2024, Chen shared a video announcing a career change at age 40, including plans to create a personal instrumental album with musicians from China and abroad. He reflected on his 17-year career, including his work on Genshin Impact, and said he would step aside to support younger composers at HOYO-MiX while pursuing his own musical goals. He hoped his new album would surprise and connect with listeners and thanked his supporters. A promotional video featuring Chen with conductor Robert Ziegler and the London Philharmonic Orchestra was also released that day.

On July 15, a music video for “Infinite Cloister of Flowers and Sins” was released. It was one of two videos promoting Chen’s album FANTASYLAND. On July 18, a music video for “Circle Dance of the Evernight Castle” was also released.

The album FANTASYLAND was released on July 18, 2024. Its cover art was created by Chinese-American artist Yan Wenqing, known as “Yuumei.”

On October 28, 2024, the “Old Friends, New Voices” Chen Zhiyi Music Concert 2024 was announced on Sina Weibo. Co-produced by Shanghai Yinxu Culture Communication Co., Ltd. and Poly Arts and Entertainment Innovation, the concert will feature the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and other musicians. It will take place from December 14 to 15, 2024, at the Shanghai North Bund AIA Grand Theater. The event will include songs from FANTASYLAND, tracks from Chen’s past video game soundtracks like Moonlight Blade, The Legend of Sword and Fairy 7, and Justice, as well as singles like “A Cup of Moon” and “Fu Sheng.”

Other works and activities

In October 2009, the eARTS Digital Audio Competition by Digital Audio China began. This event was organized by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the China Association of Recording Engineers, and the Yangpu District government to support progress in digital audio and related areas. The competition’s judges included musical engineers Simon Rhodes from Abbey Road Studios, Nick Wollage from AIR Studios, and record producer Quincy Jones. During the semi-finals, Chen placed second in the Recording Art category and first in the Music Arrangement and Multimedia Soundtrack categories. Shanghai Yinxu Culture Communication Co., Ltd., also known as Intree Music, represented Chen. This company is led by Chen. At the finals in March 2010, Chen won first prize in the Multimedia Soundtrack category, second prize in Recording Art, and third prize in Music Arrangement. Chen said during an interview at the awards gala, “I entered the competition to try. Winning shows that my work is good.”

In April 2012, Chen attended the second Digital Audio Competition as a guest. He joined with two other first-prize winners from the 2010 competition, Peng Fei and Guo Shensheng. Their commissioned works were performed at the awards gala.

After three Digital Audio Competitions, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music held the International Digital Music Festival in December 2021. This event was organized by the Shanghai Music and Art Development Collaborative Innovation Center, game developer miHoYo, and their music studio HOYO-MiX. It included participation from local and international experts in digital music, as well as forums and lectures on recording art, film, and video game music. Chen gave a lecture on the music production of Genshin Impact. He explained steps like frame drafting, MIDI arrangement, score creation, orchestral recording, sound mixing, and soundtrack design. He also shared his experience working with orchestras and musicians from different countries using videos. He discussed the concept of “huayong” (化用), which connects absorbing Western musical ideas to creating original music.

The next International Digital Music Festival took place from October to December 2022. Chen and miHoYo music director Cai Jinhan served as game music judges.

In July 2016, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music hosted an art summer school for graduate students. The program focused on music and technology, including research, production, and performance. Chen gave lectures alongside other music experts. He explained his work on the score for Phantom of the Theatre (2016).

From May to October 2010, Shanghai hosted the Expo 2010. One daily event was a large parade. Chen composed the theme song “Good Dream Is a Song” for the parade’s Puxi Line route at Longhua East Road.

On July 24, 2012, clarinet professor Tao Ran of Shenzhen Arts School held a concert at the Shenzhen Concert Hall. The concert included classical, romantic, and jazz performances. Tao led ten students, including Chen, to perform eight clarinet works, such as Felix Mendelssohn’s “Concert Piece No. 2” and Franz Krommer’s “Clarinet Concerto No. 1, Op. 36.” Chen composed an original piece, “Legend,” for piano and clarinet.

Tao Ran hosted another concert, “Beautiful Sunday,” on November 19, 2017. This event was sponsored by the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee and the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. Chen’s original works, including “Legend,” “Mystery,” “Discovery,” “Emergency,” “Truth,” and “Challenge,” were performed.

On November 13, 2016, Chen gave a lecture at the Wuhan Conservatory of Music during a three-day Applied Electronic Music Forum. His lecture, titled “The Production Process of Film Music: Taking ‘Phantom of the Theatre’ as an Example,” explained how film music is created. The next day, Chen and composer Shen Dan led a master class on applied electronic music.

In 2017, Chen founded Qingqin Qingqing (4Q), a band that focuses on the Zhongguo Feng genre. The band has members who play traditional instruments like the erhu, dizi, xiao, and guzheng. Pipa musician Juanmo explained that “Qín” and “Qìng” refer to music and ancient music, while “Qìng” means relaxed or happy. Together, the name reflects a group of friends enjoying ancient music together.

In June 2018, Chen released two singles, “Endless” and “Twelve Gods,” on online music platforms. On July 22, Qingqin Qingqing performed at Bilibili Macro Link (BML), a concert event in Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Arena. The event had over 4.5 million online and offline attendees.

From March to April 2024, Chen was one of five Artist Ambassadors at the Digital Muse: 2024 Music+Technology Festival. This event focused on combining artificial intelligence with music. Chen helped evaluate submitted works and supported music creation. The festival, hosted by Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall, aimed to promote digital music innovation and provide a platform for original music.

On March 13, 2025, Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall launched the Digital Muse: 2025 Music+Technology Festival. Chen attended as a judge and shared how technology influences his music. The event, running from March to April 2025, will include performances, exhibitions, workshops, and forums. Highlights include the AI Story Tavern, Music & Tech Investment Sharing Session, Outdoor Music & Tech Market, and Music & Light Show.

On January 1, 2017, Chen participated in the Moonlight Blade Guofeng Carnival theme music exhibition at the Sun Palace Magic Theater in Nanjing.

From May to June 2017, Chen judged the Guofeng Cover Singing Contest hosted by DouYu and Tencent.

In 2018, Chen performed the song “Brocade” at the Xuanwuji Guofeng Music Festival with Jiu Quan.

Signing with Deutsche Grammophon

In 2025, the well-known label Deutsche Grammophon said it had signed Chen. His first release with the label was the album Fantasyland.