[Photo provided to China Daily]

Born in Jilin province's capital Changchun in 1941, Tian began to learn pingshu at the age of 9 and made his stage debut at 17. He quickly showed his talent and began to head up an art troupe in Benxi, Liaoning province. After winning a number of awards and performing on TV and radio, Tian shot to nationwide fame.

Tian's forum on Baidu Tieba, a popular online community, currently has 4,160 followers who have written 38,000 posts.

But the humble artist says: "I am old. The future is in the hands of the youngsters."

Besides, Tian says he has yet to completely recover from a terrible car accident three years ago, which caused the death of his son and severely injured him.

When the Beijing program's producers called him, Tian was initially reluctant to join the show. He didn't give it the nod until the TV company persuaded him with a powerful reason: His reputation could help to revive the art form.

"China's television industry now has some shallow, mass-market entertainment productions. I hope the younger generations can learn more about traditional culture and benefit from its legacy," he says.

Tian also mentions Mo Yan, winner of the Nobel prize in literature who once revealed that his childhood hobby of listening to pingshu opened up his imagination and encouraged him to start writing.

"Pingshu dates back more than 2,000 years. From the emperors' courts to public areas, it has influenced generations. It's our duty to publicize this unique art form created by the Chinese," says Tian.

Speaking about the future, Tian recalls his visits to perform pingshu in Canada and Russia, which he describes as inspirational.

"I saw some foreigners sitting among the audiences. It convinced me that this Chinese art form could also appeal beyond borders," he says.

"I am too old to learn English. But if the young performers can speak English fluently, I believe pingshu will be enjoyed more in the West."