Du Fu composed more than 240 poems during the four years that he lived at this site, starting sometime around 760 AD. His original cottage was destroyed, but numerous memorials have been built on the same spot since the Song Dynasty. Today, the compound hosts a recreated thatched roof cottage that serves as a museum to Du Fu, honoring his work and that of other Chinese poets. The extensive grounds are also home to flowering gardens, winding streams, pretty bridges, pagodas, and pavilions amid bamboo, bonsai, and plum trees.
Du Fu Cottage is located near other popular attractions, including Wuhou Temple, so consider a day trip from Chengdu that visits multiple sights. For a greater appreciation of Du Fu, his poetry, and the impact he had on Chinese literature, tour the cottage with a guide.
Du Fu Cottage is a must-visit for history lovers and those interested in classical Chinese literature.
Flash photography is not permitted inside exhibition rooms.
Free umbrellas are available with a refundable deposit.
Plan for enough time to stroll through the extensive grounds.
Du Fu Cottage is located at 37 Qinghua Street, Qingyang District, in western Chengdu. Take the Line 4 subway to North Caotang Road Station, then walk south for about 15 minutes. Or take the 19, 35, 58, 82, 151, or 1024 bus and get off at Dufu Caotang stop.
Du Fu Cottage is open year-round, with longer opening hours in the summer and shorter hours in the winter. Ticket sales stop one hour before closing time. Depending on the time of year you visit, you’ll see different blossoms in the gardens: plum trees in the spring, lotus in the summer, chrysanthemums in the fall, and orchids in the winter.
Within Du Fu Cottage, you’ll find more than 30,000 pieces of Du Fu’s work, including over thousands of relics. There are examples of his poems carved in stone, in wood, in calligraphy on wood, handwritten copies, photocopies, modern print editions, translations of his poems in 15 languages, as well as murals depicting scenes from his most famous poems.
