Peking University, December 22, 2025: What happens when voice actors step out from behind the screen? At Peking University (PKU), the answer is found on stage, where students are exploring the power of sound in live theater.

PKU's Yanyu Dubbing Association (Yanyu), one of the oldest university dubbing clubs in China, was founded in 2011 by Lu Fuyang. As a sophomore at Peking University's School of Journalism and Communication, she started Yanyu alongside other students who shared her passion for voice acting.

Their repertoire includes adaptations of classics like Thunderstorm, And Then There Were None, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, balanced with original, light-hearted creations such as Me and My Department of Chinese Language and Literature.




Yanyu's very first event featured several well-known voice actors, who interacted with students and shared insights into the professional dubbing industry.

With voice acting still a niche interest, Yanyu entered a quieter period between 2016 and 2018. In response, the core team reorganized, shifting the club's focus toward original productions and broader public engagement. This pivot culminated in a landmark series of events for its tenth anniversary in 2021, including a debut at the PKU Hall.


"We have been continually refining our approach to voice acting," says Gao Yushan, Yanyu's 2024 voice acting director and a recent graduate of the School of Foreign Languages. "We always ask which works are best suited to this form and how to fully harness its expressive potential."

This ongoing refinement led them to select the classic science fiction novel Flowers for Algernon. They were drawn to its rich world, nuanced characters, and profound human themes, which provided a strong foundation for adaptation.



During the creative process, playwright Zhang Minchen meticulously crafted a 35,000-word script, while the team composed an original theme song to enrich the auditory experience.

Coordinating rehearsals, however, proved to be the biggest challenge. Yu Yue, the play's director and a 2024 graduate of the School of Foreign Languages, recalls that with a cast ranging from freshmen to doctoral students, finding common rehearsal times was exceptionally difficult. Despite this, students remained dedicated, gathering in the rehearsal room whenever practice was scheduled.



Assistant director Wang Ruiqi, a doctoral student from the School of Physics, suggested adding original projection designs to the stage. “Once we had a first vision of the visuals, the brainstorming wouldn’t stop,” Wang recalls. The design team responded by working late into the night, finalizing the projections in marathon sessions to realize their ideas on stage.



When the curtains rose, more than a dozen students performed the nearly three-hour story entirely off-script, weaving together voice acting, music, and synchronized visuals to create an immersive experience.

“Our goal is to create high-quality projects that meet professional standards, resonate with audiences, and provide a platform for students to develop their voice-acting skills,” says Fang Hanzhang, a doctoral student in History who served as Yanyu's president from 2023 to 2024 and previously as chair in 2018–2019.

To realize this mission, Yanyu runs campus-wide training workshops to draw in curious newcomers. Senior members coach vocal fundamentals, walk participants through key techniques, and rehearse alongside them. It also invites industry professionals—such as members of the voice-acting team behind Black Myth: Wukong—to offer hands-on guidance.



Since its inception in 2021, the PKU Dubbing Competition has grown into one of the Yanyu's flagship events. With little prior experience to draw on, members forged their own path, designing the rules, format, and judging process from the ground up. What began as a modest initiative has since garnered increasing attention, attracting student participants, esteemed guest judges, and interest from other universities.



This growing platform has allowed hundreds of students to step into the spotlight over the last four years. For engineering undergraduate and two-time contestant Chen Xinwei, the experience was transformative: “The first time, my voice was shaking. By the second time, I could relax and enjoy it. That’s what I gained from this experience.”

The true reward for many lies beyond the contest. For newly crowned champion Li Le, it was the recognition of her growth. “When someone said I’d improved since my first time, that’s when I knew I was really moving forward,” she explains. Ultimately, as former president Zhang Minchen observes, the greatest joy is more fundamental: “It’s about using your voice to tell, record, and witness your own life.”



The culmination of this journey came at the end of last year, when Yanyu’s 13th-anniversary celebrations coincided with its inaugural selection as one of Peking University’s “Top Ten Student Societies.” What originated as a modest gathering of voice-acting enthusiasts has now flourished into a family of nearly 500, forever bound by their shared creative stage and love for the power of sound.

Written by: Ma Xuan
Edited by: Wong Jun Heng, Chen Shizhuo
Source: PKU Wechat (Chinese)