Dalian University of Technology
Yu was born in Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi, in January 1964. He joined the Communist Party of China while attending university in December 1984. In 1986 he graduated from Guangxi Agricultural College (later merged into Guangxi University, majoring in agriculture. After graduating, he stayed at the school and become involved in the Communist Youth League organization there. In 1989, he began studying social sciences and political theory at Dalian University of Technology. By 1992, he had become the head of the Youth League organization at his alma mater, with a promising political future.