Wang Zhoushi

Wang Zhoushi was a Suzhou storyteller of the Qianlong era, best known for tanci ballad singing; his dates and native place are not recorded. According to Pan Xinyi's Shutan Huaduo and similar accounts, when the Qianlong Emperor visited Suzhou he summoned a local storyteller surnamed Wang to perform The Tale of the Roaming Dragon, and this was Wang Zhoushi; the story comes from performers' lore and local gazetteers and its details cannot be confirmed. In later life he founded the Guangyu Guild in Suzhou, later called the Guangyu Society, the first guild in the history of pingtan, after which the art grew quickly.