Du Fu's Thatched Cottage in Cheng County

　　   Du Fu's Thatched Cottage, also known as the Temple of Duke Du, is situated at the entrance of Feilong Gorge, 3.5 kilometers southeast of the county town. It is a shrine-style architectural complex built in memory of the great Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu during his stay in Tonggu. It is also the oldest among the thirty-seven existing "thatched cottages" in China.

　　   The great poet Du Fu took refuge in Tonggu to escape the An Lushan Rebellion, passing through Qinzhou and Longdong. He stayed here for over a month, during which he composed poems such as "Phoenix Terrace" and "Seven Songs of Tonggu," before continuing on to Sichuan via the Jialing River. In the Northern Song Dynasty, a local scholar named Zhao Weigong donated the land, and then-county magistrate Guo ?V oversaw the construction of the temple. In recent years, Cheng County has expanded and renovated the site on a grand scale, making it a must-visit destination for those who wish to pay tribute to the Sage of Poetry and enjoy the natural scenery.

　　   In October of the second year of the Qianyuan era (759 AD) during the reign of Emperor Suzong of Tang, Du Fu left Qin Prefecture (present-day Tianshui) and arrived at Sigut (now Feilong Gorge in Cheng County). On the western bank of the gorge, he chose a secluded slope backed by green mountains and huge rocks, facing the peaks of the canyon and sheltered from the sun, where he built a simple thatched cottage as his temporary dwelling. Thus, Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage became a footprint of the Sage of Poetry during his travels through southern Gansu. The poet left behind many beautiful poems here before heading south into Sichuan. Later generations built a shrine and temple on the site of his former residence in his memory. The "New Chronicles of Cheng County" also recorded this: "Zimei's Thatched Cottage is located at the entrance of Feilong Gorge, surrounded by mountains and water, with rosy clouds and drifting mist, a scene of exquisite beauty. In the Qianyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, Zimei took refuge here and built a simple hut. He wrote the 'Seven Songs of Tonggu' and 'Phoenix Terrace,' among other poems. Later generations, moved by his noble spirit, built a shrine on the very site to honor him."

　　   Through several renovations and restorations during the Song, Ming, Qing dynasties, and the Republican era, the cottage gradually became a magnificent and well-formed site. Today, the cottage still houses over ten cultural relics, including a poetic stele engraved by Yu Wenzi Zhen in the fourth year of the Shaosheng era (1193 AD) of the Southern Song Dynasty’s Guangzong reign, two poetic steles erected in the ninth (1530 AD) and nineteenth (1540 AD) years of the Jiajing era of Emperor Shizong of Ming, and the "Record of the Reconstruction of the Shrine of Du Fu" stele from the forty-seventh year of the Wanli era (1619 AD) of Emperor Shenzong of Ming.

　　   The earliest memorial shrine of Du Fu's Thatched Cottage in Cheng County was called the "Zimei Thatched Cottage Shrine," also known as the "Shrine of the Sage of Poetry." It is an ideal site with grand architecture, a forest of stone tablets, and lush green trees, offering a serene and tranquil atmosphere.

　　Du Fu (712~770)　　   Du Fu (712–770 AD), courtesy name Zimei, also known as Du Shaoling or Du Gongbu, was a renowned realist poet of the Tang Dynasty. He styled himself as Shaoling Yelao and was honored as the "Sage of Poetry." Together with Li Bai, he is known as "Li-Du," and his poetry is often referred to as "poetic history." His major works include "The Collected Works of Du Gongbu," "Three Officials," and "Three Partings." His poems excelled in both ancient style and regulated verse, showcasing diverse styles. He was a pioneer of the new yuefu poetry form and had a profound influence on later generations. Du Fu’s poetry encompasses a wide variety of forms, including five-character and seven-character ancient style poems, five- and seven-character regulated verses, as well as many extended regulated verses and variant-style poems. He employed a rich array of artistic techniques and is regarded as the master synthesizer of the ideological and artistic achievements of Tang poetry... More+