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Chengdu Tour of
Thatched Cottage of Du Fu
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Du Fu, a very famous poet, lived in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Just as its name implies, the Thatched Cottage of Du Fu was his home
more than a thousand years ago.
Du Fu was born in Gongyi City, Henan Province in 712. In 746, he
took the official examination in Chang'an (now known as Xian) and
continued to live there for more than ten years after the failure.
But, in order to get away from the An-Shi Rebellion breaking out in
758, Du Fu fled to Chengdu in 759. With the help of friends, the
thatched cottage was built in 760 beside the Flower Bathing Brook on
the western outskirts of Chengdu. During his four years there, Du Fu
composed more than 240 poems that are considered to be precious
national treasures.
After Du Fu's departure from Chengdu, the cottage was abandoned for
a long time and became dilapidated. Hundreds of years later in the
Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) a new temple was built on the
original site of the thatched cottage to commemorate this
outstanding person in Chinese literature. From then on, it was
renovated and enlarged repeatedly. There were two very important
reconstructions in 1500 and 1811 respectively, both of which set the
scale and structure of the present thatched cottage. Today, it is a
shrine to Chinese literature and a commemorative museum in the form
of a traditional garden.
The Thatched Cottage of Du Fu covers a total area of 24 hectares
(about 59 acres), and is the combination of both Fan'an Temple in
the east and the Plum Garden in the west. Construction inside The
Thatched Cottage of Du Fu belongs to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)
style, with gardens in the unique compound style of traditional
Chinese gardening. Inside the thatched cottage: gardens are quiet;
streams are winding; bridges and pavilions are interwoven; trees
reach for the sky; plum trees and bamboos stand side by side; and
classical architectural styles bring you a strong cultural
atmosphere. Besides, whenever you walk here, you will feel uplifted,
because the plum blossoms in spring, the lotus flowers in summer,
the chrysanthemums in autumn and the orchids in winter will bring
you the enjoyment of both man-made beauty and nature's romance.
The area includes several amazing structures. Next to each other in
a line that divides the whole thatched cottage area into two parts
are the Screen Wall, the Gate, the Lobby, the History in Verse Hall,
the Faggot Gate, and the Gong Bu Temple. On each side there are
cloisters and other attached buildings echoing each other. This
layout gives the place solemnity, simplicity, elegance, and grace.
To the east of the Gong Bu Temple stands the Tablet Pavilion, which
is on the original site of the cottage. It has 5 main and 4 attached
rooms with thatched roofs and is surrounded by bamboo fences,
vegetable gardens and herb plots. All these endow a strong
atmosphere of culture. Again, the grand bronze statue of Du Fu in
the Memorial Hall of Du Fu and the vivid earthen figure of Du Fu in
Gong Bu Temple all impart a feeling of deep respect for the poet.
Tour Chengdu
with Great Wall Adventure Club, the best
Chengdu
tour agent to help
you with your hotel booking and transfers.
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