 After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Cheng and such Protestant leaders as Wu Yaozong and Cora Deng organized the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, a government-sponsored group that promoted Christianity independent of foreign money and foreign leadership.He was a member of the Sino-Soviet Friendship Association and the People's Alliance.When the "Hundred Flowers" movement of 1957 encouraged criticism of the Party and the government, Cheng spoke out against corruption.