Chan was born to a family of Christian scholars, and entered a private school at the age of 6. When he was young, he learned about western knowledge from the translated books brought by his uncle Chan Mung-nam, a Christian preacher. In 1888, Chan became one of the first students to study at Christian College in China founded by Andrew P. Happer. He met Au Fung-Chi, who introduced him to Sun Yat-sen, a medical student at Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese. Chan and Sun found revolution as a common interest between themselves.
Revolution
With Sun's suggestion, Chan changed to study at Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in January 1890. In Hong Kong, Sun introduced him to Yau Lit and Yeung Hok-ling. The four frequently met at Yeung Yiu Kee, Yeung's family shop at 24 Gough Street, to discuss a revolution against the Qing Dynasty, and were collectively called the Four Bandits by their neighbours. As Sun began his commitment to revolution upon graduation, Chan dropped out of the medical school to follow him. In 1895, the Revive China Society in Hong Kong was founded by Sun, and Chan became a member of the society. Chan and Sun set up the headquarters of the society at 13 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong. Following the failure of the Canton Uprising of 1895, Chan fled to Yokohama, Japan with Sun and Cheng Si-leung. He would stay there for 2 years until he went to Taiwan to set up the Taiwan Chapter of Revive China Society. In 1899, he returned to Hong Kong to reform the Chung-wo Tong founded by Yau Lit earlier. In 1900, he founded the China Daily to spread the idea of revolution. In 1905 he became the president of the Hong Kong ChineseRevolutionary Alliance. Upon the recommendation of Siu-bak Chan, Po-yin Chan joined in Hong Kong the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance in 1905 and went to Singapore in 1906 to help Mr. Cho-Nam Chan and Mr. Wing-Fook Cheung in starting the revolution-related Chong Shing Chinese Daily Newspaper, with the inaugural issue on August 20, 1907 and a daily distribution of 1000 copies. The newspaper ended in 1910, presumably due to the revolution in 1911. Working with other Cantonese people, the Singapore group opened the revolution-related Kai Ming Bookstore in Singapore. For the revolution, Po-yin Chan raised over 30,000 yuan for the purchase and shipment of military equipment and for the support of the expenses of people travelling from Singapore to China for revolutionary work. As Kwangtung declared independence from Qing government shortly after the Wuchang Uprising in October 1911, Chan was appointed by the Kwangtung military government as the foreign minister, until the Republic of China was established in Nanking on 1 January 1912.
After the revolution
After resigning from the government, Chan founded the Yuethong Shipping Company and regained several piers in Canton from foreign companies. Yuethong lasted until 1919. When Sun Yat-sen established the Government in Canton in 1921, the Three Bandits were appointed as Sun's consultants and Chan also as the advisor at the base camp. In 1923 the Canton Government was forced to dissolve due to Chen Jiongming's rebellion, and Chan returned to develop Sanwui. He died in Peking on 23 December 1934.
