Cheng began karting in China in 1996, quickly establishing himself as one of his country's most talented young drivers. He won the Chinese national karting championship in 1998 in the junior division, then claimed the senior championship outright in 2000 and 2001. He also competed internationally, finishing fifteenth in the European Karting Open in 1999 and runner-up in the Asian Karting Championship in 2001.
Cheng transitioned to single-seater racing with the British Formula Ford Winter Series in 2001. By 2003, his talent had attracted the attention of the McLaren Formula One team, which included him in its driver development programme. This association with one of the sport's most prestigious organisations signalled the global ambitions Cheng held for his career.
Cheng represented A1 Team China in the A1 Grand Prix series, a national-team-based racing championship. He drove for the team from the 2006-07 season through the 2008-09 season, giving him exposure to high-level international single-seater competition and raising his profile in a series designed to reflect national motorsport pride.
In 2008, Cheng entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a Saulnier Team LMP2 Pescarolo. He became the first Chinese driver to participate in, finish, and score a class podium at the event. His car finished third in the LMP2 class, behind two Porsche Spyder LMP2 entries from van Merksteijn and Team Essex. The result marked a historic milestone for Chinese motorsport on one of the world's most storied stages.
That same year, Cheng competed in the Formula Three Euroseries, broadening his single-seater resume in Europe.
In May 2009, Cheng extended his record of Chinese firsts by competing in the ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hours. Driving with teammates Altfrid Heger, Carlo van Dam, and Franck Mailleux in Volkswagen Motorsport III's number 116 VW Scirocco GT24, the team finished twentieth overall and third in the SP3T class. Cheng thereby became the first Chinese driver to participate in, finish, and score a class podium at the Nürburgring 24 Hours as well.
In 2010, Cheng drove in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for Mercedes. His entry made him the second Asian driver to compete in the DTM, following Japan's Katsutomo Kaneishi in 2003. The series, contested by manufacturers including Mercedes, BMW, and Audi on iconic German circuits, represented another step into mainstream European touring car competition.
In November 2011, Cheng co-drove a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG at the 6 Hours of Zhuhai, a round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. His teammates for the race were 1998 and 1999 Formula One World Champion Mika Häkkinen and Lance David Arnold.
Cheng Congfu's career served as an early bridge between Chinese motorsport and the elite international racing series that had historically been dominated by European and American drivers. His cluster of Chinese firsts — at Le Mans, at the Nürburgring, and in the DTM — set benchmarks for subsequent generations of Chinese racing drivers entering global competition.