Homage to hometown

It was a longtime wish for Yu to present such a show in his hometown.

"It's a gift from me to my hometown. It's also my way of expressing my love for my hometown," he says.

The stage was designed based on the thumb-print from Yu's right hand and the number of figurines indicates the number of days Yu had lived by May 5.

His hometown, like many villages in Guangdong, has a long tradition of holding rituals and ceremonies to worship gods and ancestors.

"Many people didn't know what that was all about but I felt relieved after finishing the 'ceremony'. Maybe it's for the gods and ancestors," Yu says.

The project to create figurines with different poses started in 2019, when photographer Wu Yiwei spent about six months taking over 20,000 photos of Yu dancing. Then they invited nearly 100 artists to make the figurines.

"It was suggested that I use figurines with the same pose, which would make the project easier. I didn't think so because the figurines symbolize me each day from the day I was born until May 5,2022. I lived each day differently so I should look different," says Yu.

It took more than 40 days to set up the stage and arrange the figurines. Yu's father, and elder and younger brothers helped him with the stage settings. The rain and wind made their job difficult.

"During the past 10 years, I rarely returned home. This project allowed me to spend lots of time with my family and I really enjoyed living with them," says Yu. "We had lots of time talking and sharing about our lives. It brought back my childhood."

The villagers were curious about the project and asked lots of questions when Yu was preparing, he says. Some people asked if he was making a new fishpond or a new house and after knowing that he was going to dance, some children and women asked if they could dance with him.