Pan Shou (b. 1911) was from Quanzhou, China. He worked as a feature editor for Lat Pau (叻报), the first Chinese newspaper in Singapore, in 1929. Pan played a crucial role in establishing the Nanyang University (also known as Nantah 南大), where he served as its Secretary-General and Acting Vice-Chancellor before resigning in 1960. Beyond his extensive contribution to education in Singapore, he was also known for his involvement in the local calligraphy scene. In 1986, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion. Pan passed away in 2000.
Written in cursive script, Calligraphy presents the poem “Hearing a Flute on a Spring Night in Luoyang (春夜洛城闻笛)” by Tang poet Li Bai. The poem conveys feelings of missing home and enhances this emotion by engaging the five senses. Pan’s employment of fluid characters in modulated brushstrokes and free-flowing lines in the cursive script intensifies the intimate quality of the poem.
