Yu Shi

Yu Shi (; born 22 December 1996), born Yu Zhi , also known as Yosh or Ashan Yu, is a Chinese actor and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his starring roles in Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms and To the Wonder (2024).

Early life Yu was born on 22 December 1996 in Lingyuan, Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province, of Mongolian descent. At the age of 13, he left Chaoyang for a basketball youth training program at the Fuxin Basketball School. He spent five years there before being recommended for admission to the basketball major at Liaoning Technical University. Friends in the film industry encouraged him to pursue acting, and he decided to begin pursuing auditions.

Career Yu Shi made his television debut in the second season of singing competition Chinese Idol in 2014 under the name Yu Zhi.

After returning to China in 2017, he was invited to audition for a training camp for the film series Creation of the Gods on the strength of his advertisement for Jordan Brand titled Victory Is Decided by Me: The Day of Decision. Yu and 20 other young actors were admitted to the camp from over 10,000 people. At the camp, Yu became proficient in equestrianism and horseback archery. Two weeks before the start of filming, it was announced that he was to play in the starring role of Ji Fa. Yu expressed gratitude to director Wuershan for his support, despite his lack of an academic acting background.

Yu's debut film, Born to Fly, co-starring Wang Yibo, Hu Jun, and Zhou Dongyu, was released on April 28, 2023. He gained significant attention after the release of Creation of the Gods I in July 2023, three years after the shooting. On June 9, he won the "New Emerging Actor of the Year" award at the Douyin Movie Awards.

After the success of Creation of the Gods I, Yu joined various projects, including performing in the program The Most Beautiful Show, and providing the Mandarin Chinese voice dub of the goat Valentino in the Disney film Wish. He and Jerry Lamb co-hosted the closing ceremony and awards ceremony of the fifth Hainan International Film Festival. He ended 2023 by performing in the 2024 Jiangsu Satellite TV New Year's Eve Concert, singing the song "The Fox". Yu also released several new songs. He released the song "Long Xiangyi" (长相忆) in November, and, later in December, released his solo single "Dream Bubble" (梦幻泡影).

Yu's next television project was a starring role in To the Wonder, a 2024 television drama about Kazakh nomads adapted from Chinese writer Li Juan's essay collection My Altay. In January 2024, French high-end beauty brand Guerlain announced that Yu as its brand ambassador. In April 2024, he was selected to become the brand ambassador for Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot. On April 20, 2024, Yu was selected to become the Chinese brand ambassador for French luxury jewellery house Chaumet.

Personal life Yu has maintained strong ties with his background in sports. With the approval of the China Ethnic Minority Sports Association, Yu was appointed the deputy director of the Archery and Equestrian Sports Center of the China Ethnic Minority Sports Association. He represented the Guangdong Team in the first National Equestrian Archery Championship.

On January 8, 2025, Yu donated funds for earthquake relief efforts in Shigatse, Tibet.

Filmography Film

Television series Year English title Role Note 2024 To the Wonder BataiMale Lead role