YU Ming, courtesy name Difan, was born in Wuxing, Zhejiang Province, China. In his youth, he studied watercolor painting in Shanghai and later specialized in figure painting under Chen Hongshou and Ren Yiren. He was particularly skilled in painting elegant ladies with a profound touch. Yu Ming was also proficient in landscape and flower-and-bird painting. In his early years, he worked for many years at the Palace Museum in Beijing. He moved with his family to Shanghai during the Republican time, where he gained fame and many commissions for his paintings. Known for his vigorous brushstrokes and refined artistic conception, he was held in similar esteem as his uncle, Yu Yushuang.