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 ...

at the western outskirts of

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

, adjacent to the Huanhua Xi (Flower Rinsing Creek). In 1961 the Chinese government made the cottage a National Heritage site.

History

In 759

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 p ...

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 State of Chu during the Warring States period. He is known for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry and verses, especially through the poems of the '' ...

, 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,

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 ...

) 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,

References

External links

Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum websiteImage Gallery of Du Fu's Cottage and Museum
* {{authority control 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

History

Museum

Gallery

See also

References

External links