Du Fu Thatched Cottage
Well , ladies and gentlemen, next stop where we will visite is Du Fu Thatched Cottage.It was constructed in memory of Du Fu and it is located in the western suburbs of Chengdu.It used to be the former home of Du Fu.The present cottage consists of 6 parts : front gate ,lobby ,hall of historical poetry ,water pavilion ,Gongbu shrine and thatched pavilion .
I don’t know if you know Du Fu or not.Maybe some of you know and some of you don’t.I think it is neceary to provide you with some background to help you better understand what the displays in the Cottage are.First of all, let me tell you who is Du Fu.Well he is Chinese Shakespeare who is wellknown as the poet-historian in Chinese history..He was born in Gongxian county , Henan province in 712AD.He was also known as Du Zimei.He spent his great part of his boyhood in Luoyang city, the capital of Henan province.In 746AD, he went to Chang’an city,the capital of Tang dynasty in an attempt to obtain an official post.However ,he had only reached a minor post as he entered the age of 50.He lived at the turning point of the Tang dynasty when its prosperity began to decline.In 755AD, An Lushan Rebellion broke out which permanently weakened the dynasty.The rebellion lasted 7 years from 756AD to 763AD and forced the Tang Court into exile.Du Fu fled the capital but was captured by the rebels.Du Fu escaped in 757AD and offered his service to the new emperor.In 759AD, he resigned and came to Chengdu.He stayed in Chengdu 3years and 9 months .At last he died on the way back to his hometown in 770AD.Du Fu witneed a typical political and social situation ,the people living poverty but the emperor and his officials enjoying a foolishly luxurious life.Du Fu frequently used his poetry to expose social injustice and voice the suffering of the people.His poems include the “the song of war chariots, three officials , and three departures”.His poems expreed his diatisfaction with the government and his great pity for the common people.Throughout his life,Du Fu was deeply concerned with politics, and many of his poems were on current events.Du Fu’s poetry came to be recognized even during the tang dynasty.Readers of many different periods have considered Du Fu as the greatest poet of Chinese tradition.In 759AD,he arrived in Chengdu where he set up a modest cottage.He had a simple and peaceful life here and wrote about 240 poems.Most of the poems were inspired by the cottage, stream nearby and the scenery in Chengdu.They sound like he had enjoyed his stay in Chengdu.Well ,ladies and gentlemen, the immense variety of Du Fu’s work holds up quite well to different tastes from readers both at home and abroad.Like Shakespeare in the English tradition,Du Fu’s poetry became deeply bound up with the literary culture of China.The poets and critics in his following generations always rediscover their interests and values in some aspect of the poet’s work.Now we are arriving at Du Fu Thatched Cottage.It is really a great place for you to visit.By the way ,it is also a great place for you to have a cup of tea in the outdoor tea house while you are enjoying the traditional show held in Chinese lunar calendar from January 1st to 7th every year and today.
