As one of Singapore's most influential pioneer artists, Fan Chang Tien did work true to the literati tradition of Chinese painting. Born in Jieyang, Guangdong, Fan furthered his studies at the Changming Art Academy, after graduating from the Xinhua Academy of Fine Arts in 1928.

He studied under the guidance of renowned Shanghai School artists, Wang Geyi, Wang Yiting, Zhu Wenyun, and Pan Tianshou, disciples of Master Wu Changshuo. As a successor to the tradition of the Shanghai School xieyi painting, Fan brought fresh dimensions to Singapore's art scene.

He devoted himself wholeheartedly to his work and students for over three decades since his arrival in 1956, often giving lessons for free. He imparted the tradition of Chinese ink painting to a generation of Singaporean artists, propagating its creativity and diversity. Many became established artists in their own right, such as Chua Ek Kay (1947-2008), Ling Cher Eng (1940-1995), Tan Oe Pang (b.1947), Nai Swee Leng (b.1946), and Henri Chen Kezhan (b.1959).

Fan's work is significant for the masterful combination of allegory and art, achieved by brisk and rhythmic brushwork as well as elegantly-composed poetry. Whilst orchids and bamboo are his favourite subjects that symbolise gentlemanly characteristics, his landscape paintings are equally compelling and sublime.

Fan Chang Tien is a first-generation Chinese ink painter, who arrived in Singapore in early 1950s. He embodies the qualities of a ‘Literati artist’, because he was well-versed in the art of calligraphy and poetry, while at the same time expressing admiration for the qualities of uprightness, resilience, and humility in his work – qualities that make up a gentleman in Classical Chinese thought. His arrival to Singapore also heralded the expansion of the Shanghai style of painting in Singapore.

Once here, Fan begun painting localized subject matters like kampongs and coconut trees, using classical Chinese ink techniques. As such, the works of Fan are the precursors to the Nanyang Style, as subsequent artists adapted and innovated new techniques for the novel subject matters of Southeast Asia. Fan taught numerous students during his time in Singapore, cultivating generations of accomplished students who include Tan Oe Pang and Henri Chen. Fan Chang Tien lived from 1907 to 1987.