Du Fu Thatched Cottage
杜甫草堂博物馆
The former residence site of Du Fu, who lived in Chengdu for four years. Its tranquil gardens, thatched cottage, Gongbu Shrine, and the Ten Thousand Scrolls poetry stele make it one of the best places to learn about the “Poet Sage.”
Du Fu Thatched Cottage lies on the banks of the Huanhua Stream in Qingyang District. In 759, Du Fu came to Chengdu to escape the An Lushan Rebellion, and he built a thatched cottage here where he lived for nearly four years. There he wrote more than 240 poems, including “The Thatched Roof Torn by the Autumn Wind” and “Happy Rain on a Spring Night.” The surviving buildings were reconstructed during the Qing dynasty. The site covers about 20 hectares and combines a memorial shrine with a garden museum. Along the central axis are the main gate, the Great Hall, the Hall of Poetic History (with a statue of Du Fu), the Brushwood Gate, and the Gongbu Shrine, which honors Du Fu together with Lu You and Huang Tingjian. On the east side are the reconstructed thatched cottage, a flower path, and the screen wall inscribed “Shaoling Thatched Cottage.” On the west side are the Dayu Hall, which has murals and sculptures of poets from successive dynasties, and the Tang Dynasty Relic Exhibition Hall, which displays a Tang-era residential site excavated in 2001. Ancient trees tower over the grounds, and the red-walled lanes, bamboo paths, and quiet gardens resemble Kuanzhai Alley but feel more serene. Admission is RMB 50 (book through the official “Du Fu Thatched Cottage” account or buy on site). Free guided tours depart at scheduled times, and audio guides can be rented. Plan about 2 hours for the visit. When you exit through the west gate, you'll reach Huanhua Stream Park, free and widely considered Chengdu's most beautiful urban park, with a poetry avenue and white egrets. You can spend another hour there. It is a 15-minute walk to the Sichuan Provincial Museum, which is free to enter. The cottage lies on the same route as Qingyang Temple and Kuanzhai Alley, so the three can be combined into a one-day tour of the western city. Getting there: Metro Line 4 to Caotang North Station and a 10-minute walk, or take the bus to the Du Fu Cottage stop. The plum garden is especially popular in winter, when crowds are heavier.
Opening hours
08:00–18:30 (last entry 17:30); winter 09:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Huanhuaxi Park
- Sichuan Museum
- Qingyang Palace (Green Ram Temple)
- Shufeng Yayun Sichuan Opera Show
- Yongling Museum (Tomb of Wang Jian)
- Kuanzhai Alley
- Wuhou Shrine & Jinli Street
- Shaocheng Neighborhood (Kuixinglou Street & Paotongshu Street)