Yu Lihong made her screen debut in 1982, playing the lead role in a film called "We Are Young" at the Qing Film Studio.
In 1983, she played the role of Qianqian, a young female worker, in "Twenty-six Girls" at the North Film Studio, Pei Xiaoyun in "There's a Storm Tonight" at the Changfang Film Studio, and Xu Jingjing, a singer and dancer, in "Love and Hate" at the North Film Studio.
In 1984, she appeared in Withdrawal of a Beautiful Snake
In 1985, she was transferred from Hunan Province to Zhuhai Film Studio.
In 1986, she appeared in the movie "Father and Son" as Erniu, a member of the general public.
In 1987, she filmed the movies "The Book and the Sword" (as a songstress of the Qing Dynasty) and "The Last Emperor"
In 1988, she filmed the movies "Fifteen Moons" (as the female protagonist, Fang Xiaomei), "Overseas Chinese" and "Widow's Village" (in which her performance was a success).