Veteran pingshu artist hurt in accident

Chinese pingshu artist Tian Lianyuan delivers a speech in Xiamen, Fujian province on May 14, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese veteran pingshu artist Tian Lianyuan was severely injured in a car accident in Shenyang, Liaoning province, last night. Tian's son died at the spot.

According to official Weibo account of Shenyang Traffic Police, a black Hyundai jeep drove in the reverse direction and collided with a taxi and three other cars. A driver in one of the vehicles died at the scene while a passenger was severely injured. It was later confirmed that the passenger was Tian and the driver his son.

Zhao Xiaoming, who was driving the black Hyundai, allegedly tried to escape the crime scene but was caught this morning for driving under influence and for trying to escape a hit-and-run accident, according to Shenyang Evening News.

Pingshu is a form of folk entertainment in in North China, and Tian rose to fame for his pioneering work to spread the art through television.

Tian is being currently treated in the intensive care unit in the General Hospital in Shenyang.