Pan evaporation (E_pan) reflects the evaporation potential of surface water and is a key indicator of atmospheric evaporative demand. Previous studies have found a substantial decrease in E_pan across China, dominated by declining wind speed and solar radiation before the late 2000 s. However, how E_pan responds to the recovery of wind speed and solar radiation since the late 2000 s remains unclear. Here, we investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of E_pan and analyze its controlling factors, based on the daily meteorological observations during 1965–2018 at 2,018 stations over China. We find that the annual E_pan in the northwest and south of China is higher than that in the northeast and central parts of China. The national mean E_pan decreases significantly during 1965–1989 at a rate of −6.57 mm yr⁻², then reverses at a rate of 4.58 mm yr⁻². Distinct seasonal discrepancies and geographical heterogeneities in E_pan trends are observed. Declining wind speed mainly contributes to the decrease in E_pan before 1989, while relative humidity is shown as the dominant factor that drives the growth of E_pan after the turning point. The recovery of wind speed still has significant impact on E_pan variation in parts of China, while E_pan is only mainly affected by solar radiation in parts of central China in autumn. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding E_pan variations and driving factors, and call for precautions and adaptation actions to combat and prevent flash droughts over China, especially in the south of China.