As a youngster, he got full marks in maths, science and physics. He even made himself a valve receiver, ship and plane models and an ammeter.

As he was good at painting, Pan says it was hard for him to decide if he wanted to be an artist or a scientist.

Finally, he followed his father.

His father Pan Tianshou was one of the most important modern ink painters in China and good at painting flowers and birds.

Pan's father was also an educator, the former president of the China Academy of Art.

"My father never interfered with my studies. But what I got from him was a deep knowledge of Chinese culture," says Pan.

Like his father, Pan is a firm advocate of traditional Chinese culture. He says that Western culture and Chinese culture are not competitors, and both need you to devote time and energy to research them.

"I spend lots of time on research every year. I try to resolve the problem by focusing on the study of the ideology behind Chinese ink and brush painting, " he says.

If you go

10 am-6:30 pm, through Jan 24. Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, 20 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong. 852-2580-0058.