Du Fu Thatched Cottage () is a park and museum in honour of the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
poet
Du Fu
Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Tang dynasty poet and politician. Along with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.Ebrey, 103. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as ...
at the western outskirts of
Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
, adjacent to the Huanhua Xi (Flower Rinsing Creek). In 1961 the Chinese government made the cottage a National Heritage site.
History
In 759
Du Fu
Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Tang dynasty poet and politician. Along with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.Ebrey, 103. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as ...
moved to Chengdu, built a
thatched
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...
hut near the Flower Rinsing Creek and lived there for four years. The "thatched hut" period was the peak of Du's creativity, during which he wrote 240 poems, among them "My Thatched Hut was torn apart by Autumn Wind" and "The Prime Minister of Shu".
Du Fu Thatched Cottage is now a popular destination for Du enthusiasts around the world to pay tribute to the poet.
Many rich families in ancient China have been donating money for decades to keep this cottage in its best state; being able to donate money was also a sign of wealth and power back then. The donator's name is usually carved on a wall next to the cottage, in order to thank them for this feat. One of the families known to donate money is a branch of the Zhang family, which ruled part of
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
at the time.
Museum
The original thatched hut built by Du was destroyed. Key buildings in the surrounding park were constructed in the early 16th century during the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
and extensively renovated in 1811 during the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
.
Du Fu Thatched Cottage consists of several areas:
*Du Gongbu Memorial Hall (; ''Gōngbù Cí''), where Du's life and work was displayed, the library area displayed Du's published works, including some rare Song dynasty wood carving editions. The foreign-language section displays a large number of foreign language books of Du's works.
*Du's thatched cottage. A reconstructed thatched hut partitioned into a study, a bedroom and kitchen, recreating the living and working environment of Du's time.
*The Hall of Great Poets (; ''Dàyǎ Táng''). An exhibition hall with a 16 meter long by 4 meter tall mural painting portraying scenes from Du's poems: "My Thatched Hut Wrecked by the Autumn Wind" and "A Song of War Chariots". There are also statues of twelve prominent Chinese poets (including
Qu Yuan
Qu Yuan ( – 278 BCE) was a Chinese poet and politician in the Chu (state), State of Chu during the Warring States period. He is known for his patriotism and contributions to Classical Chinese poetry, classical poetry and verses, ...
,
Tao Qian,
Li Bai
Li Bai (, 701–762), also pronounced as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du F ...
,
Wang Wei,
Su Shi
Su Shi (; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, gastronomer, pharmacologist, poet, politician, and travel writer during the Song dynasty. A major personality of ...
,
Li Qingzhao
Li Qingzhao (1084 – ca. 1155), alias Yian Jushi (Chinese: 易安居士) was a Chinese poet and essayist during the Song dynasty. She is considered one of the greatest poets in Chinese history.
Biography
Early life
Li Qingzhao was born in ...
,
Lu You
Lu You (; 1125–1210) was a Chinese historian and poet of the Southern Song Dynasty (南宋).
Career Early life and marriage
Lu You was born on a boat floating in the Wei River early on a rainy morning, November 13, 1125. At the time of his b ...
) on display.
Gallery
File:Gongbu Shrine - Du Fu Thatched Cottage - Chengdu, Sichuan, China - DSC04919.jpg, Gongbu Shrine in the cottage
File:Shaoling Thatched Cottage Tablet Pavilion 20161121.jpg, Shaoling Thatched Cottage Tablet Pavilion
File:Thatched Cottage 20161121.jpg,
See also
*
Chinese architecture
Chinese architecture (Chinese:中國建築) is the embodiment of an architectural style that has developed over millennia in China and it has influenced architecture throughout Eastern Asia. Since its emergence during the early ancient era, the ...
*
Kuizhou
Kui Prefecture, Kuizhou Circuit, or Kuizhou () was initially established in 619 CE, as a renaming of the existing Xin Prefecture. Kuizhou was an important area from the beginning and through the end of the Tang dynasty of China, when it was alter ...
, further location of Du thatched cottage(s)
*
List of museums
A museum is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temp ...
*
Museums in China
, there are 3,589 museums in China, including 3,054 state-owned museums (museums run by national and local government or universities) and 535 private museums. With a total collection of over 20 million items, these museums hold more than 8,000 e ...
References
External links
Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum websiteImage Gallery of Du Fu's Cottage and Museum*
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Museums in Sichuan
Parks in Sichuan
Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Sichuan
Thatched buildings
Literary museums in China
Historic house museums in China
Buildings and structures completed in the 16th century
Ming dynasty architecture
Tourist attractions in Chengdu
National first-grade museums of China
Traditional Chinese architecture