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Du Fu's Thatched Cottage
Du Fu's Thatched Cottage (Dufu caotang)
is the quaint former residence of one of China's most famous
poets. Du Fu (712-70 AD) left home at the tender age of
20, becoming a court official at the former capital in Chang'an
(near Xi'an). Du Fu's civil service duties did not last
long however, and he was captured by rebels and forced to
flee the city for Chengdu after only a few years. It was
in Chengdu, at this small and simple house, that Du Fu was
inspired to write more than 200 poems which are regarded
today as masterpieces of realist poetry.
Du Fu actually achieved something of a
cult status for himself and even today, numerous poets and
artists site the great man's work as inspirational. The
themes of Du Fu's work are simple, and he talks in length
about the social and living conditions of his society .
Perhaps the most important thing of all about this great
man's work, was that it was compassionate. This was especially
inspirational given that there was such a lack of sympathy
and concern elsewhere in society at this time.
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In memory of the great poet, temples and
pavilions were added to the site during the Song Dynasty.
The exhibits here include a brief account of Dufu's life
and some of his original calligraphy and poems. The complex
also contains three imposing statues of some of China's
greatest poets; Du Fu, Li You and Huang Tingjian (the latter
two were Song dynasty poets). Today, this is a pleasant
site to visit, with nice buildings dotted about, teahouses
and pleasant bamboo gardens to wander and explore. This
site is also home to the Chengdu Du Fu society.
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