Du Fu Thatched Cottage - Beautiful Residence of Great Chinese Poet

In AD 759 of Tang Dynasty, Du Fu took refuge in Chengdu from An-Shi Rebellion. With the help of his friend Yan Wu, Du Fu built his small cottage beside picturesque Huanhua Brook. He has lived there for 4 years until Yan Wu passed away. After his leaving, the cottage collapsed.

Later, the Poet Wei Zhuang found Du Fu Thatched Cottage and recovered it. Then Du Fu’s cottage has experienced some reconstructions and the overall size and layouts were confirmed

In 1997, Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum recovered Thatched Cottage according to the description in Du Fu’s Poetry and the layouts designed in Ming Dynasty.

Brief Introduction to Du Fu

Du Fu was a prominent realism poet whose glory shines all ages. He is called China’s Shakespeare in Harvard Announcement. Du Fu had profound influence on Chinese classic poem and was hailed as Poet-Historian & Poet-Sage while his poetry praised as History of Poetry for he achieved to record Tang Dynasty from boom to bust with his pen. Du Fu was also a patriotic poet, and what he concerned most were his country and the toiling masses though Du Fu himself suffered from poor life even his child died from hunger. In his “My Cottage Unroofed by Autumn Gales”, Du Fu said, “Could I get mansions covering ten thousand miles, I'd house all poor scholars and make them beam with smiles. In wind and rain these mansions would stand like mountains high. Alas! Should these houses appear before my eye? Frozen in my unroofed cot, content I'd die."

Du Fu Thatched Cottage has many attractions including main architectures, Shaoling Thatched Cottage Tablet Pavilion, Thatched Cottage, Flowery Path, Pagoda etc. The main architectures were built in the axis, from front to back as follows: Front Gate, Grand Lobby, Hall of Historic Poetry, and Gongbu Temple. Highlights are as follows

Hall of Historic Poetry

A stony paved road leads you from The Lobby to the Hall of Historic Poetry. On each side of the road, there is an exhibition room where you can explore Du Fu’s rough life experience and meaningful scene in his poetry. In addition to that, a lot of books of Du Fu’s poetry in old version are on display.

Gongbu Temple

The last building of major architecture of Du Fu Thatched Cottage is Gongbu Temple. During Du Fu’s stay in Chengdu, he used to act as an adviser in Gongbu, so the Gongbu Temple was built to commemorate him. Du Fu is not an emperor or minster but he swayed the descendants deeply just by his creations, so Gongbu Temple is rather plain and unadorned instead of being gorgeous and magnificent.

Besides the shrine for Du Fu, you can also find shrine for Lu You and Huang Tingjian (Both are well-known patriotic poets) equipped with oblation. Therefore, Gongbu Temple is also called Three Sages Hall.

On the southeast and southwest of Gongbu Temple stands two room named Shuizhu Residence and Suitable Ferrying. They three shape like a “品”.

Shaoling Thatched Cottage Tablet Pavilion

This Pavilion hatted with a thatched roof is the first landmark of Du Fu’s Cottage. In the center of Shaoling Thatched Cottage Tablet Pavilion lies a stony tablet inscribed with “Shaoling Thatched Cottage” which was also wrote by Prince Guo. People always take Shaoling Thatched Cottage Tablet Pavilion as a sample of Du Fu Thatched Cottage.

Leaving Shaoling Thatched Cottage Tablet Pavilion and walking east, you must be given a great shot by the poetic image made up of a small bridge over flowing stream and a looming cottage roofed with straw among the verdant bamboos. This is Thatched Cottage which reverts to the scene in one thousand years ago. Thatched Cottage is a functional house equipped with kitchen, bedroom, and central room. Here you can imagine Du Fu’s real life.

Ruins of Tang Dynasty

Ruins of Tang Dynasty is a pavilion where relics ruins and a large amount of cultural treasures were excavated in the end of 2001. It verifies the truth of the natural features，the daily life and Thatched Cottage described in Du Fu’s poem. What’s more important is that it deepens the atmosphere of history and enriches the cultural connation.

Flowery Path

Origin Flower Path was a wonderful path lined with colorful trees and flowers. Du Fu once mentioned this elegant path in his poetry, “My path is full of petals -- I have swept it for no others. My wicket gate has been closed -- but now opens for you.” Today’s Flower Path which is flanked with two red walls connects major memorial architectures and previous Cao Tang Temple. In the end of the path is another landmark of Du Fu Thatched Cottage, Screen Wall of Thatched Cottage. There are two Characters “Cao Tang” made of blue and white porcelain fragments inlaid in the wall.

Wanfo Pagoda

Wanfo Pagoda (rebuilt in 2005) stands in the Phebe trees in the east of Du Fu Thatched Cottage now. Ascending the stone steps and entering the gate, you will find that the underground peristele of Ancient Wanfo Pagoda through the glass. The second story exhibits various tiny statues of representative poets with their creations, such as Li Qingzhao, Qu Yuan, Sima Xiang Ru etc. There were many articles for daily use excavated and most of them were display on the third floor.Mount up to the fourth story, and you can feast on a sea of fresh green trees. Just like Chinese old saying goes, “In the east there is Chongli Pavilion, in the west there is Pagoda of Buddha” Pagoda of Buddha really plays an important role.