Yu still remembers his parents' teaching, "Seek personal integrity but never privilege."
He received higher education at the Harbin Military Engineering Institute in Heilongjiang Province. He worked at a radio factory in Zhangjiakou of Hebei Province as a technician for a few years after graduation. He was minister of construction before he was appointed Hubei Province's Party chief.
Yu's wife, Zhang Zhikai, has retired. They have a son.