Chengdu Du Fu Thatched Cottage

OVERVIEW

First Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units

National Ancient Books Key Protection Unit

First Batch of National First-grade Museums

National AAAA-level Scenic Area

Chengdu Du Fu Thatched Cottage was once the residence of the poet during his sojourn in Chengdu. In the winter of 759, Du and his family relocated to an ancient temple in west Chengdu to escape from the warfare. In the next spring, he built a dwelling near the Blossom-Bathing Brook under the financial support of his friends and named it Thatched Cottage. Through renovation and expansion in the past millennium, it is now a memorial hall dedicated to the poet Du Fu.

Opening hours:：8:30-18:30（ticket sales until 17:30）

Location:No. 37, Qinghua Road, Qingyang District, Chengdu City

Hotline: 028-68921800

SCENIC SPOT

1Front Gate
2Grand Lobby
3Memorial of the Poet-Historian
4Firewood Gate
5Gongbu Shrine
6Tablet Pavilion
7Thatched Cottage Scenic Area
8Tang Dynasty Site
9Flowery Path
10Screen Wall of the Thatched Cottage
11Hall of Odes

1古建
2园林
3浣花园林区

Front Gate

You’re now at the Front Gate of the Thatched Cottage, the first part of the old building complex. The two Chinese characters “草堂” (Thatched Cottage) on the inscribed board were replicated from the “少陵草堂” (Shaoling Thatched Cottage) Tablet inscribed by Aisin Gioro Yunli — Prince Guo of the Qing Dynasty.

Grand Lobby

The copper statue in front of the Grand Lobby depicts the poet in his old-age predicament, sitting on the prow, contemplating with a book in hand. The statue was created by Mr. Qian Shaowu, a renowned Chinese contemporary sculptor and a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Memorial of the Poet-Historian

In the center of the Memorial stands a copper statue created by Mr. Liu Kaiqu, a celebrated sculptor in modern China, who masterfully portrayed Du Fu in his post-adolescence and his strong patriotism.

Firewood Gate

Walking past the stone arch bridge, we arrive at the Firewood Gate — the smallest among the five buildings along the central axis. The spot was designated as the “Depth of the Blossom-Bathing Brook” during the Ming Dynasty and “Flowery Path with Herbal Fence” during the Qing Dynasty. Du Fu once called his courtyard gate the Firewood Gate in a poem, hence the name in the 1960s. The two characters “柴门” (Firewood Gate) on the board were inscribed by Mr. Pan Tianshou, a modern Chinese ink painting master.

Gongbu Shrine

The Gongbu Shrine stands as the last building along the central axis of the Thatched Cottage. The three Chinese characters “工部祠” (Gongbu Shrine) on the board were inscribed by the celebrated Chinese litterateur Ye Shengtao. “Gongbu” or the Ministry of Works is one of the six ministries in ancient Chinese administrative system, in charge of construction work.

Tablet Pavilion

The Shaoling Tablet Pavilion, at east of the Gongbu Shrine, is around 175cm tall and 80cm wide, engraved with patterns of two dragons frolicking with a pearl on its head as well as dragon patterns at its body top and both sides. Seeing off Dalai Lama back to Tibet, Prince Guo of the Qing Dynasty Aisin Gioro Yunli made a special trip to Taining (west of Kangding, Sichuan today) in 1734.

Thatched Cottage Scenic Area

Heading northward of the Tablet Pavilion through a wooden bridge, we come to the former residence of Du Fu renovated as per description in Du’s poems. Restoring the scene of the poet’s stay here, the Cottage allows visitors to truly experience what a poetic life Du Fu once lived.

Tang Dynasty Site

(both intact and damaged), dozens of Kaiyuan Tongbao currencies, and more importantly, relics revealing people’s life in the Tang Dynasty including three wells, eight house sites, one oven pit, five cellar pits, nine ash pits and four ditches were unearthed.

Flowery Path

This path laid ahead of us is the Flowery Path. Du Fu once mentioned in his poems that there was a path flanked by flowers and trees in front of his thatched cottage. Today’s Flowery Path actually refers to a red wall passage that links the former site of the Du Fu Thatched Cottage to the former Thatched Cottage Temple. Due to its beautiful scenery and poetic flavor, the path regularly shows up in Chengdu promotional video or films.

Screen Wall of the Thatched Cottage

At the end of the Flowery Path is the Screen Wall of the Thatched Cottage, with the two characters “草堂” (Thatched Cottage) inlaid with blue and white porcelain pieces. The country China is named for being the birthplace of chinaware, which is made with clay burnt in a temperature above 1,200℃ and then covered with glaze.

Hall of Odes

Cottage Temple. Redesigned into a hall to exhibit Chinese poetry culture, it was opened to the public in 2002. The three characters “大雅堂” (Hall of Odes) inscribed on the board over the front gate are taken from handwritings of Yan Zhenqing, the prestigious calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. “大雅” (Ode) is a part of the Book of Songs, the earliest poetry collection in China, which reflects major events in ancient society and is treated as the paragon of poetry.

千诗碑

根据史料记载，南宋吏部尚书张焘任成都府知府期间，曾在杜甫草堂遍刻杜诗一千四百余首成碑，但后来被毁于历史长河之中。因此成都市委、市政府经过反复研究论证，于2015年9月决定恢复建设“杜甫千诗碑”项目，将杜甫存世的1455首诗歌以书法刻石等艺术形式在杜甫草堂博物馆及浣花溪公园内予以呈现。

成都市浣花溪公园建设基本情况介绍

浣花溪公园是浣花溪历史文化风景区的核心区域，占地444.8亩，是成都市迄今为止二环路内最大的开放性城市综合公园。
全园分为三大主题园区：万树山、沧浪湖和白鹭洲。园区景观主要包括一座人造山、一个人工湖、一处人工城市湿地，两幢景观建筑（其中一幢位于沧浪湖南侧的建筑资产于2009年5月划拨至成都文联），及于2005年12月28日竣工落成的“中国诗歌文化中心”的八个主题景点和2018年竣工的“杜甫千诗碑”。

EXHIBITION

在线展厅

EXHIBITION

Du Fu Poem Steles

2023.07.17

In terms of spatial layout, the Du Fu Poem Steles Program features two zones, i.e., the Cultural Relics Zone and the Garden Zone, which were completed before the Spring Festival of 2017 and at the end of 2018, respectively.

详情》

Bonsai Garden

2023.07.17

The Bonsai Garden was constructed in the 1960s. Bonsai, originated in China, is a fine traditional Chinese art that attempts to simulate natural scenery in flowerpot with plants, stones, water, and soil. By recreating the beauty of nature in miniature, it renders profound artistic conception through little details.

详情》