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.

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.

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.