the Du Fu Thatched Cottage in Zizhou, Santai

the Du Fu Thatched Cottage in Zizhou, Santai

The Du Fu Thatched Cottage in Zizhou, Santai, is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural heritage site.

According to historical records, in 762 AD, having resigned from office and retreated to Shu, Du Fu encountered renewed warfare. With no other choice, the poet had to leave Chengdu, the seat of the Western Sichuan Military Governor, and make his way to Zizhou, the seat of the Eastern Sichuan Military Governor. "The world in turmoil leaves one long a sorrowful sojourner; the rugged road compels one ever to depend on others." It was here that Du Fu spent yet another difficult period of his life, dependent on the support of others.

The present-day cottage is a reconstructed classical-style garden complex built in the 1980s on the site of the Ming Dynasty-era Ministry of Works Thatched Cottage. Within the grounds are the Poetry Sage’s Life Exhibition Hall, the grand central Poetic History Hall, and the lushly planted rear courtyard. In the warm spring sunshine, several crabapple trees bloom brilliantly, their flame-colored blossoms adding splashes of vivid color to the tranquil courtyard. In the green lotus pond stands a full-body statue of Du Fu. The poet, cloak in hand and head held high, gazes into the distance with eyes full of worry. This scene reminds visitors of the poignant moment in the winter of 770 AD when, after leaving Sichuan, Du Fu eventually passed away on a small boat on the Xiang River — ill, impoverished, and alone. "Spring days to accompany my homeward journey" remained merely an unfulfilled dream for the poet...

Stepping out of the cottage and looking back, you will see a couplet inscribed on either side of the gate by Yu Liqun, wife of Guo Moruo: “Different ages, same land — amid these rivers and mountains, how many poets rose and fell like dragons and tigers? The master too was but a sojourner, yet forever remains this bright moonlit, gentle breeze-filled cottage.” The couplet speaks to the high regard and reverence later generations have for this eternal poetic sage. His verses, which read like living history, continue to shine brightly through the ages. Today, viewed from Niutou Mountain, the once humble city of Zizhou has transformed into a thriving and beautiful county town. Watching the endless stream of vehicles and bustling crowds, one cannot help but think that while the turbulence and upheaval of over a thousand years ago was不幸 for Du Fu, it was perhaps a stroke of fortune for Zizhou. After all, this was the place where someone lived who deserves to be remembered by our nation for all time.

Du Fu (712–770 AD), also known as Zi Mei, and by the aliases Du Shaoling and Du Gongbu, was a renowned realist poet of the Tang Dynasty. He styled himself Shaoling Yelao (Old Man of Shaoling) and is honored as the “Poet Sage.” Alongside Li Bai, he is jointly referred to as “Li-Du,” and his poetry is known as “poetic history.” His notable works include the *Collected Works of Du Gongbu*, *Three Officials*, and *Three Partings*. His poems are especially masterful in the use of classical forms and regulated verse, showcasing a wide range of styles. Du Fu pioneered the New Yuefu poetic form and had a profound influence on later generations. His work encompassed a broad array of poetic forms, including five-character and seven-character ancient style poetry, five- and seven-syllable regulated verse, as well as many extended and irregular verse styles... More details about Du Fu ++