Tomb of Du Fu in Leiyang

Tomb of Du Fu in Leiyang

The Tomb of Du Fu in Leiyang is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

In his later years, Du Fu, the realistic poet of the Tang Dynasty, lived in poverty. In the fifth year of the Dali era (770 AD), to escape war, he sought refuge with his uncle Cui Wei in Chenzhou and arrived in Leiyang. Both the *Old Book of Tang: Biography of Du Fu* and the *New Book of Tang: Biography of Du Fu* record: "Du Fu stayed in Leiyang, visited the Temple of Mount Yue, when a sudden flood struck, leaving him without food for over ten days. The county magistrate sent a boat to bring him back and once offered him beef and white wine. Du Fu drank too much and passed away that very night. He was buried in Leiyang. Thirty-seven years later, Han Yu passed through Leiyang during his exile and paid tribute to Du Fu, leaving behind the verse: 'This spring, by chance traveling the road through Leiyang, I went sadly to seek the riverside tomb.'"

The tomb of Du Fu is located within the campus of Leiyang No. 1 Middle School, a key provincial high school. The tomb mound is circular, with a diameter of 5 meters. The base is built with bluestone, 50 centimeters high, with the earth mound piled on top, bringing the total height to 1.5 meters. The front bluestone slab is inscribed with: "Tomb of Du Gong, Minister of Works of the Tang Dynasty." The upper inscription reads "Summer, First Month of the Guihai Year of the Jingding Era" (April 1263, the fourth year of Emperor Lizong’s Jingding reign in the Southern Song Dynasty), and the lower part is signed "Erected by Magistrate Wang He." In front of the tomb stands a stele from 1940, inscribed with "Rebuilding the Tomb of Du Gong," written by Xue Yue. Behind the tomb is an ancient stone stele pedestal, though the stele itself is now missing. The area around the tomb is enclosed by a stone railing, covering approximately 100 square meters. According to research by Guo Moruo, this is the authentic tomb of Du Fu.

Source: Leiyang Party Building Website

Du Fu (712–770 AD), courtesy name Zimei, also known as Du Shaoling or Du Gongbu, was a renowned realistic poet of the Tang Dynasty. He styled himself "Old Man of Shaoling" and was honored as the "Sage of Poetry." Together with Li Bai, he is referred to as "Li-Du," and his poetry is known as "poetic history." His representative works include the *Collected Works of Du Gongbu*, *Three Officials*, and *Three Partings*. His poems excelled in classical forms and regulated verse, showcasing diverse styles. He pioneered the New Yuefu poetic style and had a profound influence on later generations. Du Fu’s poetry encompasses a wide range of forms, including five-character and seven-character ancient-style poems, five- and seven-character regulated verses, as well as many parallel verses and irregular forms, employing artistic techniques... More details about Du Fu ++