Pan Shou
Pan Shou, whose other name
is Guoqu, was born in the district of Nanan, Fujian Province, China, in 1911.
The year of 1911 Revolution ended the rule of the Qing Dynasty. The war of the
warlords, the Northern Expedition of the Kuomintang, the Japanese invasion, the
Sino-Japanese war years and the civil war between the Communists and the
Kuomintang followed. These were tragic events and a very traumatic period for
China.
Pan Shou was patriotic since young and this is evident in his poems, which
express his great love for the country. Pan Shou came to Singapore as a young
man of 19, already well-schooled in Chinese classics and the brush. With his
great gift and erudition evidently integrated in his creation, his poems are in
harmony with spirit of nature. His works are at once subtle and yet thoroughly
open, profound and yet relaxed, crisp and yet intense, and playful and yet
dignified. They always leave one in awe and wonder. His poems, whether
describing a scene or based on historical facts, show his concern of the time.
During his youth, Pan Shou started learning to write in the regular script or
kaishu style from the works of two great
Tang calligraphers, Yan Zhenqing and Yu Shinan. He first studied under Zhen Qiu,
a famous scholar and calligrapher from Fujian province. He was already as good
as his master by the time he was in secondary school and was often asked by his
teacher to write on his behalf. This shows he had reached a very high standard
even at a young age.
Scholar Qia Zhongshu commended Pan Shou for being able to achieve "two
excellences" with his brush, referring to his outstanding skills in poetry and
calligraphy. No matter in what forms, Pan Shou's calligraphy looks natural and
yet powerful. Pan Shou's artistic achievement is the result of decades of hard
work and study of the ancient Chinese scripts. Pan Shou also studied the many
calligraphic masterpieces of China, especially those on commemorative stone
tablets. Upon this foundation, Pan Shou gradually evolved his own calligraphic
style and became the most well-know calligrapher in Singapore. His mixed cursive
and running-hand characters are an endless variety of sensitive brush strokes as
if the ink has a life of its own.
Source: Pan Shou Exhibition Committee (ed.) (1995). Pan Shou shi shu hui gu .
Singapore: Singapore Art Musuem, National Heritage Board.
He received the Meritorious
Service Medal in 1994, a Singapore Cultural Medallion and a cultural award from
the French government.
What is less known is his role in the founding of Nanyang University (Nantah).
When the first vice-chancellor, Lin Yutang, left with less than a year to go
before the classes were to begin in March 1955, it was Pan who was given the
task of getting the university on its feet to welcome its first batch of
students.
At a Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (clan association) annual general meeting in
the '60s, chairman Tan Lark Sye reportedly commented that "without Pan Shou,
Nantah's door could not have opened".
It was also believed by some that it was because of Nantah that Pan was without
his Singapore citizenship for 25 years. Speaking without rancour, he mused that
he was like a bonzai plant because his Certificate of Identity made overseas
travel a cumbersome affair. So he stayed mainly in his "pot", Singapore.
Source: Pan Shou's pivotal role in university's startup by Pang Cheng Lian
Published in the lifestyle Section of the Straitstimes, November 28 of 1996
Pan Shou, Singapore's pre-eminent Chinese classical poet and calligrapher, was born in Fujian, China in 1911.
When he arrived in
Singapore at the age of 19, Pan Shou had already received rigorous training in
both the Chinese classics and the brush. Over the years, he became a prolific
artist as well as, an avid observer and critic of contemporary culture and
society. Through an extensive repertoire of poetry and calligraphic works, Pan
Shou made significant contributions to Singapore’s cultural and literary
landscape.
Pan Shou’s Literary Works
The themes adopted by Pan Shou in his literary works were wide and diverse,
ranging from the Japanese Occupation in Singapore to the impact of information
technology on society. His works exuded a profound understanding of Chinese
literature and history, and reflected his feel of current issues and
contemporary affairs.
Pan Shou was also an accomplished poet. Some 600 of his poems have been
published in a four-volume collection called "Pavilion Beyond The Ocean" (1970)
and in the "Pan Shou Nanyuan Poetry Collection" (1984). His latest offering "An
Anthology of Poems", was launched shortly before his death.
Pan’s Calligrahic Prowess
Throughout his life, Pan Shou studied and practised the archaic scripts of the
Qin, Han and Wei dynasties. His unique, personal style evolved from his mastery
of the ancient scripts, making him the most celebrated calligrapher in
Singapore.
Pan Shou often infused his calligraphic works with poetry. His poems would flow
effortlessly through his brush onto rice paper, adding a further touch of
originality to his works.
For his outstanding achievements in calligraphy and poetry, scholar, philosopher
and gentleman Pan Shou was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 1994 by the
Singapore government.
Source: Selected Poems of Pan Shou (with Modern Chinese and English
Translations)
Works:
Poem of Zither 1999 8 panels (purchased by the Singapore Art Museum with support
from the Lee Foundation)
Selected Exhibitions:
1990 Singapore Art Fair (Singapore)
1991 Singapore Art fair (Singapore)
1991 Solo calligraphy exhibition: National Museum Art Gallery (Singapore)
Awards:
Gold Medal, Salon des Artistes Francais, Grand Palais, Paris (France)
Cultural Medallion Award, Ministry of Information & The Arts (Singapore)
Selected Collections:
National Museum Art Gallery (Singapore)