Actor's love for tragic character grows deeper with time

Amid swirling snowfall, a figure in red dances gracefully across the stage — like a plum blossom defying the cold. This striking final image of Return Home on a Snowy Night, a production by the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, has lingered in audiences' memories since its 2012 premiere.

From 2012 to 2018, the play was performed 11 times. After a seven-year hiatus, it returned to the NCPA stage this June for five new performances.

With each revival, actor Yu Shaoqun, the man behind the crimson figure, found himself stepping once more into the tragic life of Wei Liansheng, a once-celebrated Peking Opera star whose story the play tells.

Adapted from Wu Zuguang's 1942 original, the play traces Wei's rise and fall. At its heart is a doomed romance — Wei's passionate but ill-fated affair with Yuchun, the concubine of a powerful bureaucrat. Set against a backdrop of political turmoil, their love ends in tragedy, a reflection of both personal and societal collapse.

Over the past 13 years, the role has evolved with Yu. "This character has grown with me," he says.

Yu never saw himself as a traditional stage actor, but he found in Wei a rare match for his expressive abilities.

When he first played the character in 2012, Yu was a rising star known for his portrayal of opera legend Mei Lanfang in Chen Kaige's 2008 film Forever Enthralled. His successful portrayal won him opportunities to star in more movie productions and to play Wei.

His foundational training in Chinese opera gave his performances as Wei a sense of authenticity few could match.

Now 43, Yu reflects on how the role fits him even more.

"It was like this part was made for me — the age, appearance, and my artistic sensibility," he says. "I connected deeply with the character."

Yet, it wasn't until this year that Yu realized something surprising.

"I never truly enjoyed playing Wei because I was nervous and focused on memorizing the lines and acting," he admits.

"This time, I want to savor everything: the lines, the love, the emotional highs and devastating lows. I want to walk fully through his life — the betrayal, abandonment, solitude, and all."

In his early career, Yu was eager to prove himself. He took on a wide range of roles from action to comedy, and even unconventional or unattractive characters.

During his quieter years out of the spotlight, Yu chose patience over hustling, waiting for the right project.

"If there's no opportunity to broaden my range," he says, "then I'll go deeper into what truly suits me."

In his recent project, The Stage, a film directed by veteran actor Chen Peisi, Yu plays Feng Xiaotong, a renowned Peking Opera performer known for his soft, delicate stage roles, but who reveals a contrasting strength in real life. The film is set to premiere on July 17.

"I've come to appreciate the wisdom that comes with age," Yu reflects.

"I've passed through many stages of life — and with each one, I understand my craft a little more."