Yu Shao Qun

Age: 41

Birthday: October 11, 1983

Nationality: Chinese

Gender: Male

Having had a fondness for opera since he was a child, Yu Shao Qun entered Wuhan Municipal Arts School at the age of 14 despite his family's opposition and studied Hanju (汉剧) for 6 years. In 2004, he became the last disciple of Hanju Master Chen Bo Hua. In 2005, he was invited to play the part of Yang Nai Wu in the opera TV series Yang Nai Wu Ping Yuan Ji (杨乃武平冤记), which aired on CCTV-11 the following year. It was also in 2005 that Shao Qun began performing Yueju after being selected by the Shanghai Yueju Opera House, which he later left to join the Zhejiang Yueju Troupe. In 2006, he participated in BTV's "Hong Lou Meng Zhong Ren" casting competition for the new Hong Lou Meng TV series and was one of the top 5 Jia Bao Yu finalists of the Shanghai region, receiving much praise from the judges and audience members alike. However, Shao Qun decided to withdraw from the contest to take on what would turn out to be his breakthrough role as the young Mei Lan Fang in acclaimed director Chen Kai Ge's film "Forever Enthralled", overshadowing big name stars Leon Lai and Zhang Zi Yi and winning numerous "Best Newcomer" awards for his outstanding performance. (Source:DramaWiki) His first role in a non-operatic TV series was also a memorable one as the altruistic eunuch Chun Er in the 2010 China-Japan collaborative period drama Cang Qiong Zhi Mao. During the filming of Bai Hua Shen Chu, Shao Qun and veteran actor Feng Yuan Zheng developed an especially close relationship founded on mutual respect, and on February 15th of 2011, an apprenticeship ceremony was held, whereby Shifu Feng Yuan Zheng officially took Shao Qun under his wing as his first disciple. In CCTV-8's 2012 year-opening TV drama Da Xi Fa, Shao Qun plays a dual role for the first time and trained with renowned magicians to perform magic tricks without the aid of special effects. On the music front, Shao Qun released his first single, aptly titled "Xi Meng Ren Sheng" (loosely translated as "A Life of Opera and Dreams"), in 2011. A rising star with "pretty boy" good looks, natural performing talent and an admirable work ethic, Yu Shao Qun continues to expand his horizons in the Chinese entertainment industry and beyond. In his own words, "The only way to not let everyone who has supported me down is by giving it my all and never ceasing to grow.".