Pan Anbang passes away suddenly; Penghu residents mourn: His old home had just been adorned with Spring Festival couplets bearing his name

Reported by You T-Ru / Taipei


▲ Pan Anbang’s old home had just been decorated with Spring Festival couplets themed around his name when news of his death emerged. (Photo / Provided by Penghu National Scenic Area Administration)

Singer Pan Anbang popularized Penghu with his song "Grandma's Penghu Bay." The county government transformed his former residence in Duxing 10th Village, ingeniously incorporating military dependents' village architecture, into a landscaped garden. Many tourists visit Penghu specifically to pay homage at Pan Anbang’s old home. The Penghu National Scenic Area Administration had just put up Spring Festival couplets at the entrance, inscribed with his name, but less than two days later, news of his passing was announced, leaving many deeply saddened.


▲ Duxing 10th Village in Xinfu Li, Magong City, Penghu, is a military dependents’ village and the hometown of both Zhang Yusheng and Pan Anbang. The child in the photo is Zhang Yusheng’s young neighbor. (Photo / CFP)

“It’s truly heartbreaking. We had just invited a lyricist to write Spring Festival couplets for his old home, and then we heard he had passed away,” said Chen Shunxu, section chief at the Penghu National Scenic Area Administration. These couplets, placed outside Pan Anbang’s former residence, were specially commissioned for the Lunar New Year, with the hope that visitors seeing the home would hum “Grandma's Penghu Bay” as they listened to the music by the house. “In the hearts of the people of Penghu, Pan Anbang holds a significant emotional place for those who grew up in the '50s and '60s as a symbol of their hometown.” Reflecting on the scenes in the song and matching them with Penghu’s beautiful landscape, the words on the couplets seem like a final farewell to Pan Anbang.

“That was Grandma leaning on her cane, gently holding my hand, as we walked towards the afterglow in the twilight, along the warm Penghu Bay. Each footprint came with bursts of laughter, as we whiled away the hours until nightfall enveloped us on our way home. Penghu Bay, Penghu Bay, Grandma’s Penghu Bay.” Aside from the old home itself, there is also a statue of Pan Anbang’s grandmother, with children playing nearby—depicting the carefree childhood moments of Pan Anbang with his grandmother, as described in the song.


▲ Pan Anbang, who rose to fame with the song "Grandma's Penghu Bay," sadly passed away on February 3, 2013. (Photo / Screenshot from the internet)