Where Poetry Blooms: A pilgrimage to Du Fu's thatched cottage

Revered as "the sage of poetry" and "poet-historian," Du Fu, a realist poet of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), is widely considered as one of China's greatest literati masters. Seeking refuge from war, he found rare tranquility in Chengdu, now the capital of Sichuan Province in southwest China. It was here that he wrote about 200 poems and built his renowned thatched cottage.

The cottage's story began in the winter of 759, when Du Fu and his family, fleeing conflict, found shelter in an old temple in the western part of Chengdu. The following spring, with the help of friends, he built a simple dwelling near the Blossom-Bathing Brook, naming it the "Thatched Cottage." Through centuries of restoration and expansion, it has transformed into a memorial dedicated to the life and enduring legacy of Du Fu.