Chinese artist Li Yan Sheng was at the snooker on last-16 night on Thursday, keeping a close eye on the two matches in the brutal top quarter – home hero Ding Junhui v Mark Williams, and Judd Trump v John Higgins.
The Beijing-born 61-year-old studied and now lives in Japan, and also a talented musician – Li plays the Chinese ‘guqin’ as well as the violin and flute – his reputation as an artist has been built on calligraphy, and still very popular paintings featuring traditional Chinese characters.
Having made the sensible decision he would rather see the snooker than watch paint dry, Li took his seat and enjoyed an entertaining evening’s play.