Pingshu is a Quyi art form of oral storytelling, enjoying the wide popularity especially in Northern China. The Pingshu performer wears a gown and sits behind a table, with a folded fan in one hand and a gavel in another. The gavel serves as a prop to strike the table to give a warning to the audience to be quiet or as a method of attracting attention and strengthen the effect of the performance, especially at the beginning or at the intervals. Pingshu performers talk in standard Chinese, basing on Beijing dialect. The storytellers often added their own commentaries on the subjects and the characters. Therefore, the audience was not only entertained, but also educated and enlightened while watching the performances.