Born in Guangzhou, China, Zhenyi’s piano studies started when he was 7. He went to The Middle School of Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou at the age of 12 and studied piano with Professor Pengjie Sun for the next 6 years. During that time Zhenyi participated in both concerto and solo recital competitions of the school and won 1st and 2nd prize. He completed his undergraduate studies at Oberlin Conservatory in 2020 and studied with Monique Duphil and Stanislav Ioudenitch from 2016-2020. Zhenyi received his master's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in May 2023. At SFCM, he studied with Jon Nakamatsu and also received private lessons from Garrick Ohlsson. He recorded the 24 preludes Op.28 by Chopin and also worked closely with string players in the chamber department at SFCM. Starting from fall 2023, he will start his DMA studies at The Frost School of Music with Kevin Kenner.

Zhenyi is the recipient of the Ted & Ruth Steegmann Piano Scholarship, The Rachel W. Eaton Scholarship, and the Eleanor B. Daugherty Scholarship Fund.