Remembering Shan Tianfang, China’s most prominent storytelling artist

Shan Tianfang, 83, a prominent Chinese storyteller, passed away in Beijing on September 11 due to organ failure. He devoted more than 60 years to pingshu 评书 (píngshū), a Song dynasty–era storytelling tradition in which artists tell classical stories based on ancient Chinese history while wearing a gown and behind a table, with a folded fan and a gavel.