Navigating through the bustling construction workers, stepping into the sports field of the West Campus of China Agricultural University, the last of the low-rise rooms on the right belongs to physical education teacher Yu Guoliang's storage room, also known as his dinosaur world. As the new gymnasium is being constructed, the fate of his storage room remains uncertain.
It's his own little "world," filled with dozens of models of all sizes, along with glue, raw materials, and a 3D printer. His exhibited works had nowhere else to go, so he had to dismantle and store them in dozens of cardboard boxes, filling up the depths of the storage room. To find a particular dinosaur piece, the tall Yu Guoliang needs to bend down and search for quite a while.
From an amateur to a somewhat renowned model "prototyper," he's been on this path for over a decade.
Yu Guoliang's warehouse is filled with dinosaur models (Photo by Wang Zhaoyu).
Yu Guoliang, a bona fide physical education teacher at China Agricultural University, a former member of China's national rugby team, and the coach of Beijing's men's rugby team. Simultaneously, he is a prototype sculptor for paleontological reconstruction models. This towering figure, standing at 185 centimeters tall with muscles rippling across his frame, seamlessly integrates multiple roles, creating a surprisingly harmonious existence.
In an interview with China Science Daily, Yu Guoliang shared that with one hand in rugby and the other in paleontological sculpting, during his more than a decade of stepping out of his comfort zone, the sideline of art has significantly influenced his main career path—sports. He aims to inspire his students, encouraging these young souls to explore more possibilities in life.
Yuguo Liang: The Dinosaur Model Maker
Childhood Traveling back to 1981, Yuguo Liang was born into a working-class family in Beijing. In his early years, Yuguo Liang showed exceptional talent in both sports and art.
His art teacher back then told Yuguo Liang's mother that he was a "promising artist," suggesting that he could pursue a career in the arts. However, with the level of instruction available at the Youth Palace and regular primary schools, professional guidance seemed unlikely.
After exploring various art teachers for Yuguo Liang's talent, his mother finally found a suitable mentor. However, the high tuition fees discouraged this modest family. "One lesson would cost my mom a third of her monthly salary at the time," Yuguo Liang recalled.
So, Yuguo Liang didn't pursue art but instead became an "athlete" from the third grade of primary school, specializing in the 200m and 400m races.
After graduating from primary school, Yuguo Liang was admitted to the prestigious Luhe Middle School in Tongzhou District, Beijing, where he spent his junior and senior high school years. His training regimen expanded from the pentathlon—100m, shot put, and high jump—to the heptathlon: shot put, javelin, 110m hurdles, long jump, 1500m, high jump, and 400m.
Training in various events cultivated Yuguo Liang's outstanding and balanced physical abilities. In his senior year, his strengths were in the high jump and discus throw, both reaching a national level. As a student specializing in sports, his goal was Tsinghua University.
Unfortunately, at this critical moment, Yuguo Liang suffered a hamstring injury during a test, missing the opportunity for Tsinghua. Fortunately, he was accepted by China Agricultural University, where he switched his major to rugby in 1999.
In his second year at the university, Yuguo Liang was selected for the Chinese national rugby team. "At that time, China Agricultural University's rugby level was among the best in the country, with 80% of the national team members coming from the university," Yuguo Liang told the China Science Daily.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree, Yuguo Liang stayed at the university, continuing his career as a rugby player until retiring in 2009 to become a rugby coach at China Agricultural University.
On the rugby field, there's more to Yu Guoliang than meets the eye, as captured in this 2005 snapshot.
Beyond the arena of sports, Yu Guoliang never abandoned his childhood passion for art. During junior high, he frequently submitted drawings to comic magazines. He was particularly fond of "Slam Dunk" and other adrenaline-fueled manga. Starting with imitation and later transitioning to original creations, Yu developed his artistic flair. Even during his university years, he crafted a series of comic stories titled "The Rugby Coach and Athlete." After sweating it out on the sports ground, he'd often retreat to his dorm room, where he found solace in sketching during his leisure hours.
Yú Guólíang's Own Comic Series
Bonding with Dinosaurs
In 2010, Yú Guólíang welcomed the birth of his daughter. By then, he had retired from his athletic career and transitioned into teaching, primarily coaching school teams while also taking on advisory roles for the Beijing Rugby Team.
Noticing his 4-year-old daughter's fondness for dinosaurs, Yú Guólíang embarked on a quest to procure various dinosaur models online. Yet, there was one model that eluded him. Driven by paternal affection, he decided to take matters into his own hands, purchasing a semi-finished model to paint. Eventually, he even bought raw materials and began crafting dinosaur models from scratch.
"Who would've thought that a casual request from my daughter would lead me to bond with dinosaurs?" Yú Guólíang chuckled.
As his daughter's interests diversified with new toys, her fascination with dinosaurs waned. Conversely, Yú Guólíang found himself captivated, diving headfirst into the world of dinosaurs. He photographed the various dinosaur models he crafted and shared them on online platforms like Tieba, garnering a wave of fans and forging connections with like-minded individuals.
"Online, I received encouragement from netizens, including theoretical guidance from some professionals, and some even mentioned the collectible value of my work," Yú Guólíang told the China Science Daily.
The support from enthusiasts across the country bolstered Yú Guólíang's confidence and fueled his determination. He found his calling and gradually developed his own distinctive style.
Yu Guoliang and His Works in Photographs
When it comes to ancient creature models, there are two crucial features: scientific accuracy and artistic expression. Scientific accuracy is paramount. Creators cannot simply rely on imagination; instead, they must adhere to fossil evidence, ensuring that proportions and skeletal structures are scientifically sound. However, within this framework of scientific accuracy lies the realm of artistic expression. It is here that creators can develop a unique artistic style while maintaining scientific integrity. This involves employing artistic creativity in areas where fossil evidence is lacking, such as skin color, to craft plausible artistic interpretations.
Under the skilled hands of Yu Guoliang, reconstruction models take on a robust and lifelike form. He has a penchant for capturing the "dynamics" of animals, focusing on showcasing every movement and muscle, thus imbuing viewers with a sense of power and speed. This approach seamlessly blends with his primary profession, which revolves around the natural world and its harmony.
The Argentine Dragon besieged by several Mapusaurus
In a stroke of luck, Yu Guoliang collaborated with an enthusiast from Guangdong to complete a 4D dinosaur reconstruction model, featuring half pure skeletal structure and the other half adorned with skin and soft tissues. This model caught the eye of the exhibition director at the Liaoning Paleontological Museum, and thus, Yu Guoliang's work found its way into the museum. This was a tremendous boost for him.
Subsequently, Yu Guoliang's creations also participated in exhibitions at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as a competition held at the Zigong Dinosaur Museum in Sichuan Province, winning awards twice. His works have been permanently collected and exhibited by these professional institutions.
Hobby turned profession
Over a decade of exploration, Yu Guoliang has turned his hobby into the "second storyline" of his life, becoming a "prototyper" of paleontological models.
The profession of "prototyper" is very popular in Japan, especially in the anime community. In recent years, many young people in China have also become "prototypers" of figurines, specializing in designing and producing prototypes for figurines.
In addition to dinosaurs, Yu Guoliang has also attempted to create models of many other animals, such as tigers, lions, cattle, and beetles. He has also self-taught software related to digital design and 3D printing, keeping up with the latest technological trends, and has launched a course titled "Design and Production of Biological Simulation Models" at a local agricultural university.
Yu Guoliang is sketching wireframes on the computer.
A 3D-printed beetle model (Photo by Wang Zhaoyu)
Is the reason for turning hobbies into professionalism and achieving "breaking out of the circle" merely interest? The answer is negative. "The most crucial reason I can persist is that it helps with my main job," said Yu Guoliang. "To excel in art, one must first calm the mind. Once the mind is calm, many things can be reflected upon, unraveling some of the puzzles I faced as a sports coach and teacher."
After a football game loss, coach Yu Guoliang was gloomy for a while. During that time, he used his spare time to make models. Through constant dialogue with himself, he realized the similarities between sports competitions and model making.
First is the importance of gathering information. The first step in making a model is to gather a wide range of information, carefully discerning and making choices, just like in sports, where you need to grasp information about the opponents and your own team members. Yu Guoliang said that they didn't do well in gathering information for that particular match.
Second is "structure is more important than details." Making a model requires establishing proportional relationships within the body structure. If the overall proportion is not right, pursuing perfection in detail is futile. The same goes for sports, where every aspect is important, including training, logistics, medical support, salary and benefits, and technical arrangements. The division of labor within the coaching team is also crucial, balancing relationships between physical trainers, technical coaches, tactical coaches, and team doctors.
Yu Guoliang said that pursuing hobbies in a "second field" allows him to temporarily "step out" of his current work.
"Sticking to one discipline for too long can easily lead to a bottleneck, making it difficult to see your own problems. But when you turn to hobbies and temporarily detach, then look back at your main work, you can find good solutions," Yu Guoliang said.
Educating Others
At 43, Yu Guoliang is still a lecturer, and his attitude towards scientific research and professional titles is "let it be." His self-positioning and description are always that of a teacher.
"When you are with students, every word and action of yours can influence them. Being a role model is an embodiment of a teacher's value," Yu Guoliang said.
Yu Guoliang's "Fundamentals of Rugby" is particularly popular among students, often fully booked even during the pre-selection period. But he once felt lost in teaching.
Traditional physical education classes can be somewhat dull. For example, in passing, the traditional teaching method is for the teacher to explain the technique, and then the students repeatedly pass the ball back and forth. Yu Guoliang kept asking himself: Why do it this way? What is the goal for students in each class?
Benefiting from the reflections during the model-making process, Yu Guoliang continuously improves and enriches the content of his classes, integrating different small games with rugby rules, making students enjoy the class more and grasp the rugby rules better.
Some students consider themselves lacking in athletic talent and confidence. Yu Guoliang tells them, "Rugby is a team sport, and every position requires different types of people. You don't need to be the fastest, strongest, or have the best endurance. You just need to do your best within your own abilities."
Students beam with confident smiles on their faces.
Yue Guoliang believes that sports competition is not just about physical strength, but also about wisdom. In rugby, it's about "using four ounces to move a thousand pounds." Even a "skinny monkey" can find ways to win against a "big guy" by utilizing the principle of inertia, changing direction at the right moment during the run, making it hard for the opponent to stop. Yue hopes students can apply the confidence and wisdom gained from sports to their lives for decades to come.
Apart from teaching, Yue also dedicates himself to the campus rugby club. He aims to create a "sports social" atmosphere for the kids at Nongda, providing university students with a different social experience beyond watching movies, eating barbecue, and playing Werewolf. Over the decade of his tenure, the rugby club has grown from less than 10 members to over 200.
Utilizing his artistic talents, Yue designs mascots and logos for each rugby team to convey their team culture. With cultural symbols, team members feel a sense of belonging. He also personally designs posters and trophies for matches, adding a touch of glamour to campus rugby competitions.
Yú Guóliáng has designed logos for each team, and here's one of them.
When talking about his students, Yú Guóliáng speaks of them with pride. "There's a female student who took my course on biological simulation models during her undergraduate studies. Now she works part-time as a botanical illustrator and has been featured in many publications. And then there's a male student majoring in chemistry. After joining the rugby club, he developed a passion for the sport. Despite tearing ligaments in both legs twice, he came back to play after recovering. He failed the graduate entrance exam due to a fever the first time, but succeeded the second time, scoring more than 50 points above the cutoff." Yú Guóliáng's smile radiates genuine happiness. *Unless otherwise specified, all images in this article are provided by the interviewee.
