 His portrayal of the character, who was initially thought to be an antagonist as portrayed him in previous film and television adaptations, instead was reinterpreted as a morally ambiguous and romantic antihero, leaving a deep impression on many people.His earned widespread recognition with his role as the thirteenth prince in the hit time-slip historical drama, "Scarlet Heart" (2011).Yuan earned positive acclaim for his performance in the period drama, "Ordinary World" (2015), based off the same novel by Lu Yi; and won the Best Supporting Actor award at the Golden Ox Awards.