Xiao Yao Tian, originally from Chaoyang, was a renowned Teochew writer and calligrapher in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. He served as associate professor at Nanhua University, teacher and head of the Chinese Department at Chung Ling High School in Penang, and curriculum committee member of the Ministry of Education of the Federation of Malaya. Beginning in 1960, he spent thirteen years as chief editor of Teaching and Learning Monthly, which became widely read throughout the peninsula. In his early years he studied many stele and model-book traditions; later he favored cursive script and often blended stele and model-book methods. This banner was written with concise and agile zhangcao technique.