YU Hongyuan, the master of Hanchu Opera
Yu Hongyuan (1875-1937) was a famous player of Hanchu opera for his creation of a new form called Yu Pai. Therefore, he was nominated as the head of the Hanchu Opera Society and was honored as the master of Hanchu Opera.
Yu Hongyuan, also called Jin Bao or Dan Pu, was originally from xianning and was growing up in Shashi District, Jingzhou City. In his early years, he always went into the theatrical troupe and made the famous artist, Hu Shuangxi, to be his teacher. Yu showed great talent in the Opera. In 1900, Yu worked in a theatrical troupe named Fu Xin Ban in Han Kou. The troupe was set up by a famous player named Yuan Yigou. In the following years, his fame spred far and wide. What’s more, he created a unique form called Yu Pai. In this way, he was nominated as the Head of the Hanchu Opera Society and was honored as the master of Hanchu Opera.
Even when Yu was already a master, he went on studying and absorbing from other schools of opera, which kept him an authority in opera history. He worked together with another master of Peking Opera named Wang Xiaonong in Tian Yi Tea Yard. In 1923, Yu went to give performance in Beijng to raise money, which was well accepted by the local people. Time Record made many albums for him. In 1920, he set up the Hanchu Opera Society and was nominated as the president.