Born in Beijing in 1957, Julian J. Yu began composing at the age of twelve. He went on to study at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing where he later taught. From 1980 to 1982, he studied at the Tokyo College of Music with Joji Yuasa. In 1985, he settled in Australia.

Since 1987, Julian J. Yu has won numerous composition prizes: the Koussevitzky Composition Prize at Tanglewood, first and second prizes in the Paul Lowin Orchestral Prize, the 56th Music Competition in Japan and the 35th Music Award for the City of Trieste. His pieces have been performed at ISCM World Music Days, the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the Asia-Pacific Festival and the Munich Biennale. In 1988, Yu received a scholarship to attend Tanglewood, where he studied composition with Hans Werner Henze and Oliver Knussen.

His orchestral works have been performed by the Tanglewood Orchestra, BBC Symphony, the Orchestra of Hiroshima, and the Melbourne and Sydney Symphonic Orchestras. In China, he has composed for the radio, television, cinema, and dance and theatre productions. He has been commissioned by the China Central Television and Radio and the Beijing Radio.