Homage to hometown

In 2018, he founded his own dance troupe, Ying Dance Theater, which now has five dancers.

All the figurines he used for his recent show are kept at Yu's village home. Though it may be hard to stage the "ceremony" again, Yu says he hopes that the figurines can be exhibited one day.

He has moved on to his next dance piece, Sea, which was commissioned by the China Dancers' Association. Also inspired by his hometown, the 30-minute dance piece will involve five dancers and is inspired by Yu's childhood memories about catching fish and crabs, as well as playing on the beach with his brothers. The dance piece is scheduled to be premiered at the National Center for the Performing Arts this year.

The ancient dragon dance, which has a long history on Donghai Island, is also on the agenda of Yu's schedule. He plans to research dragon dance, which involves more than 100 people both in the sea and on the beach. He will do his own choreography for a dragon dance in the future.

"I am glad to see that some art studios have opened in my village, which will teach children to sing, dance, paint and practice martial arts," says Yu. "I miss my hometown, especially when I tour abroad. I am the only one from the village who became a professional dancer and I want to share what I know and what I learned about dancing with people in my village, especially with the children. I want them to feel the power of art, which may also change their lives."