Pan evaporation (Epan) is a critical indicator of atmospheric evaporative demand and a key input for hydrological models. This study explores the changes of Epan and its dominant factors across China from 1963 to 2017 using Mann-Kendall analysis. The results show that the national Epan exhibited a decline followed by an increase during the study period, with the majority of trend reversals occurring around 1996. The decline in net radiation and wind speed may have contributed to the decrease in Epan, while increases in air temperature and vapor pressure deficit were associated with the rise in Epan. VPD is the primary factor influencing Epan across the meteorological stations in China, with wind speed playing a significant role before 1996. Air temperature and net radiation had a relatively minor contribution to the changes in Epan.