Nie was born in Zhenyuan County, Guizhou. His parents named his elder brother and him "Zhen" and "Yuan" respectively to remind them not to forget their hometown (Zhenyuan). When Nie recalled his adolescent days, he saw himself as a "youth-at-risk" then – he secretly joined the Guiyang Dance Class without informing his parents; when he was around 15 and 16 years old, he smoked, got into fights, and ran away from home. His worried parents sent him to enlist in the People's Liberation Army. Nie later enrolled in the Shanghai Theatre Academy after completing his service in the army. However, he behaved insolently in the academy and was almost expelled for poor conduct, but a teacher appealed for him to stay. After this incident, he became more mature and changed his rebellious ways.
Nie first started acting when he was still in the Shanghai Theatre Academy. He was a "highly productive" actor, as he described in his own words, "In times when I was playing with my life, I could finish filming one episode in two days. I tried completing filming a 140 episodes television drama and one movie in a year. This can be taken as a record."
In 2000, after graduating from the academy, Nie and his first girlfriend, actress Huang Yi, collaborated in the television drama Wrong Carriage, Right Groom. Nie did not receive much acclaim for his performance while in contrast, Huang Yi was very successful. In 2001, Nie worked on Tianxia Liangcang with director Wu Ziniu, and was noted for his outstanding performance. Following that, Nie acted in the period dramas Love Legend of the Tang Dynasty,[citation needed] Eternity: A Chinese Ghost Story, Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties, Hanxue Baoma, Jingcheng Sishao, Han Women, and Carol of Zhenguan, and experienced a surge in popularity for his portrayal of good-looking young men dressed in ancient Chinese costumes.

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