Cheng Dali (1945) is from Beijing. After graduating from senior high school in 1963, he became a self-taught artist. He worked in various artistic establishments in Jiangsu Province, including the Peixian cultural centre, before he joined the publishing world. He now is main editor of the Jiangsu Fine Arts Publishing House.

Initially, Cheng specialized in propaganda paintings and New Year pictures. Nowadays, he concentrates on Chinese painting.