Pop duo strike a chord through brotherhood

Yu Quan members Chen Yufan (left) and Hu Haiquan show the digital flash disc of their new album Recyclable. Zou Hong / China Daily

In 1994 Chen Yufan, a Beijing native, dropped out of school and started his career as a singer-songwriter. The same year, Hu Haiquan, who started composing at 11, came to Beijing from Northeast China and played keyboard for bands. Two years later, the two met for the first time and Chen came up with the idea to form a band.

"He told me that he had never thought about becoming a singer and his dream was always to be a backstage hero," recalls Chen, 38. "But to tempt him to form a band with me, I guaranteed to be the singer and all he had to do onstage was play keyboard."

Then they picked up one syllable from each of their names and became Yu Quan in 1998.

"Of course, I knew that he would be singing with me onstage because, in the world of music, there are no rules," Chen says, laughing.

In the years since, Yu Quan has developed a galaxy of devoted fans in the Chinese Mandarin music scene and swept the best pop duo honor every year over the past decade.

In 2013, they celebrate their 15th anniversary with a new album, Recyclable, a concert and a book, reviewing their past as one of the most successful pop duos in China.

The new album saw the duo celebrate their brotherhood, the transition from young adults to middle-aged men and their reflections about their lives.