Yu Rongling was born in 1889. At that time, the Qing dynasty had not fallen. Her father is a first-class official, Geng, who is often sent to other countries as a special envoy. Therefore, Yu Rongling was exposed to the cultures of various countries when he was very young. At the age of 6, she went to Japan with her father and learned Japanese classical dance from a maid who can sing and dance. Later, she asked her parents to invite a dancer from Hongye Pavilion to teach dance.
At the age of 1 1, Yu Rongling followed his father to Paris, France. At that time, Paris did not exclude dancing, and consciously trained children to develop in a versatile direction. A diplomat's wife introduced isadora duncan, who was teaching dance in Paris at that time, to Rong Hong. Because of Yung Wing's outstanding performance, Duncan readily accepted this clever and talented apprentice.
In this way, Yu Rongling studied dance with Duncan for three years, and later appeared in dance dramas such as "Greek Dance" and "Roses and Butterflies" created by Duncan, which were deeply loved by the audience. People in Paris call her the "Queen of Butterfly Dance" in the East. Although her parents were very angry because of her "showing off", they finally decided to support her dream and send her to the Paris Conservatory of Music for further study.
By the time 1903 returned to China, Yu Rongling had become an excellent dancer. After returning to China, she was chosen by Cixi and became the Empress Dowager with her mother and sister. Because Yu Rongling is proficient in English, Japanese and French, she is not only a court dancer, but also a foreign affairs translator for Cixi.
In the palace, Yu Rongling was deeply loved by the Empress Dowager because of her superb dancing skills. When Cixi is in a bad mood, Yu Rongling's dance always makes her feel much better. Therefore, Cixi personally gave her the title of "Princess of Mountain Living", which only the first daughter of the former prince can have, equivalent to the Manchu's Heshuo Gege.
After returning to China, Yu Rongling devoted herself to absorbing and creating China dances. Because she studied foreign dances before, she combined foreign dances with China dances and created dances with China national characteristics, such as sword dance, fan dance, Guanyin dance and Ruyi dance. After leaving the palace, Yu Rongling also gave a charity performance to help poor farmers.
19 12 years, Yu Rongling and Tang got married. After marriage, she still did not give up her dance career and continued to create dances for decades. After the founding of New China, Rongling was hired as a librarian of the Literature and History Museum. She wrote a book called Notes of Qing Palace, which provided precious historical materials for the history of modern dance in China.
Rongling's spirit is still very good in her later years, and she can also be interviewed by writers who study dance history. From some old photos handed down, we can see that although years have left traces on Rongling's face, she still has an elegant and charming temperament, and she is worthy of being the first person in China to learn western ballet and modern dance.
The butterfly dancer lived to 1973, and later died of illness at the age of 84. After her death, the art world has not forgotten her name, and there is still a dance art forum named after her, which represents the memory of dancers and dance historians for this legendary artist.