A life changed

Marking the latest endeavor set to catapult Yu's popularity to new heights, To the Wonder, an eight-episode series adapted from writer Li Juan's essay collection, My Altay, concluded its initial run on China Central Television's CCTV-1 on May 13.

The show obtained 8.8 points out of 10 on the major review aggregator Douban, making it the highest-rated drama on the platform this year. It also received praise for its contribution to boosting tourism in Altay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, from the National Radio and Television Administration during a seminar on May 30.

Li, the writer, spent her childhood and youth in Altay, a picturesque region in northern Xinjiang that she was intimately acquainted with, featuring vast grasslands, desert landscapes and hospitable locals. In a way, My Altay serves as her autobiographical account.

The series, To the Wonder, set against a poetic backdrop, unfolds the story of Li Wenxiu, a woman of the Han ethnic group, who aspires to become a writer. She struggles as an unskilled waitress in Urumqi, Xinjiang, before returning to her mother and grandmother who reside in a Kazak nomadic region in Xinjiang. When she decides to assist the family in managing a small convenience store, an unexpected encounter with Batay, the youngest son of a local Kazak nomad, sparks a blossoming affection between the two young people.

Batay, portrayed by Yu, is depicted as a modern Kazak youth, who is open-minded and harbors a deep love for horses. In the series, the character undergoes training in Qingdao, Shandong province, and works at a horse ranch before returning home to aid his father in tending a sizable herd of 300 sheep, seven camels and 20 horses.

During an earlier interview, director Teng Congcong reflected on her decision to cast Yu. "Initially, I came across a photo of Yu riding a horse and I was captivated. It had been a while since I had seen such masculine power and upright handsomeness," she recalls.

In June 2022, Teng met Yu for the first time. At that point, due to the delayed release of Born to Fly and the uncertain scheduling of the first movie of Creation of the Gods, Yu was navigating one of the most challenging periods in his acting career.

Yu recommended his account on Douyin, a popular short video-sharing platform, to the director, sparking Teng's curiosity to browse his over 300 posts, with many showcasing his horseback riding and archery skills.