He penned more than a thousand poems and is historically considered an important figure in Chinese language poetry.
He had shown an interest in poetry in as early as his teenaged years; The Jade Flute, his first poem, was written when Khoo was fifteen.
[1] Khoo was a good friend of Reverend Swee Oi (瑞于上人), who founded Seng Wong Beo Temple (都城隍庙) at Peck Seah Street.
Swee Oi was a former Qing dynasty's tributary scholar before he ordained as a monk, and both of them had strong interest in literary and poetry appreciation.
After the Seng Wong Beo Temple was constructed, Khoo and Swee were known to have had lively conversations about poetry and art in the backyard.