Du Gong Temple in Cheng County

　　The Du Gong Temple is located at the mouth of Feilong Gorge, 3.5 kilometers southeast of the county town. It is a complex of shrine-style buildings commemorating the great Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu during his stay in Tonggu. It is also the oldest among the thirty-seven existing "thatched cottages" dedicated to him in China. In the late autumn of 759 AD, during the height of the An Lushan Rebellion, the poet Du Fu resigned from his official post in Huazhou and traveled westward via the capital Chang’an, eventually reaching Qin Zhou, a “frontier prefecture” in the northwest. In October of the lunar calendar, braving the harsh cold and heavy frost and snow, he fled with his wife and children in search of a “land of peace” untouched by war and bloodshed, eventually arriving in what was then Tonggu (today’s Cheng County). During his over one-month stay in Tonggu, the poet “personally gathered firewood and pine, collected acorns to survive, and saw several of his children die of starvation.” Faced with such severe living conditions, the poet’s creative passion did not wane in the slightest. Like a cuckoo crying blood, he continued to pour out heartfelt, deeply moving, and solemnly rhythmic verses. He composed more than ten poems during this time, including “Longmen Town,” “Stone Niche,” “Jicao Ridge,” “Nigong Mountain,” “Phoenix Terrace,” “Ten-Thousand-Zhang Pool,” “Seven Songs Composed While Living in Tonggu County in the Year of Qianyuan,” and “Departing from Tonggu County.” These works depict landscapes, lament the chaos of war and separation, express longing for loved ones, and convey deep emotions—ranging from profound sorrow and explosive indignation to earnest hopes and fervent anxieties. Among them, “Phoenix Terrace” and “Seven Songs of Tonggu” stand out as masterpieces, rivaling the brilliance of the “Three Officials” and “Three Partings.” On the first day of November that same winter, the poet “set off with heavy heart from that desolate place, journeying even farther into the unknown,” traveling southeast through Litng, Mupiling, and Basha Ferry, beginning his arduous trek toward the “bustling, renowned metropolis”—Chengdu. He not only left behind timeless poetry of radiant brilliance for future generations but also set an exemplary moral model. Later generations, moved by his verses and memory, “admired his noble spirit and built a temple in his honor.” In the 14th year of the Xiantong era of Emperor Yizong of Tang (872 AD), Zhao Hong, Prefect of Chengzhou, wrote in his five-character regulated verse “Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage in Tonggu”: “After the Minister of Works stayed here, most neighbors have vanished. The Qiang people lose their way through the green hills; the white-robed drinkers cherish their cups and bowls. Who will carry on the grand tradition of refined poetry? It has all fallen lonely to this place. Lone clouds and birds fly past, inscribing nothing but the old mountain’s edge.” This indicates that remnants of his former residence still existed at the time. In the 5th year of the Xuanhe era of Emperor Huizong of Song (1123 AD), “the scholar Zhao Weigong donated five mu of land, and Magistrate Guo [surname] of Sushui initiated the construction of a temple… allowing future visitors to admire the landscape, pay respects to his statue, and revere his writings.” That is, a shrine was rebuilt on the site of Du Fu’s former residence. Through several restorations and renovations during the Song, Ming, Qing dynasties, and the Republican era, the thatched cottage gradually took on a magnificent form and began to take shape. Today, the cottage still houses over ten relics, including a poetic stele engraved by Yuwen Zizhen in the 4th year of the Shaosheng era of Emperor Guangzong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1193 AD), two poetic steles erected in the 9th (1530 AD) and 19th years (1540 AD) of the Jiajing era of Emperor Shizong of Ming, as well as the “Record of the Reconstruction of the Du Shaoling Shrine” stele erected in the 47th year of the Wanli era of Emperor Shenzong of Ming (1619 AD).　

　　

　　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 “Old Man of Shaoling” and is honored as the “Sage of Poetry.” Together with Li Bai, he is referred to as “Li-Du,” and his poetry is often called “poetic history.” His representative works include the “Collected Works of Du Gongbu,” “Three Officials,” and “Three Partings.” Du Fu excelled in classical and regulated verse forms, showcasing diverse styles. He pioneered the New Yuefu poetry style and exerted profound influence on later generations. His poetry spans various forms, including five-character and seven-character ancient-style poems, five- and seven-character regulated verses, as well as many parallel and variant-style poems, utilizing a wide range of artistic techniques. He is regarded as the master synthesizer of the ideological and artistic achievements of Tang poetry... Details+