CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Tuesday, January 26, 2021 | 17 LIFE
Home among a thousand sorrows
Du Fu Thatched or poetry lovers, the Du Fu his life. His youngest son died of Thatched Cottage Muse starvation although he was a petty Cottage Museum um in Chengdu, Sichuan official at that time. offers plenty province, is a mustdo pil After the sudden death of Yan Wu, Fgrimage. who had financially supported him, to enjoy even if During his threeyearandnine Du left Sichuan, passed today’s month stay in the cottage, Du Fu Chongqing municipality, Hubei and poetry is not (712770), who is one of China’s most Hunan provinces and died of illness revered poets, penned 240 of his on a boat on the east bank of the your thing, 1,400 extant poems. Dongting Lake in Hunan on his way Huang Zhiling Couplets with lines from Du’s home to Henan. poems greet the eye, gracing gates, In 761, the thatched roof of Du’s and pillars and halls in the museum. cottage was destroyed in a storm, Good Rain on a Spring Night and leading him to think of the plight of Shi Wanxiang Song of the Autumn Wind and the other povertystricken scholars. report Cottage, which every Chinese stu Rather than wallowing in self dent can recite, are two of the mas pity, he composed the poem Song of in Chengdu. terpieces Du wrote in the cottage. the Autumn Wind and the Cottage Because of the poet’s influence on desiring that all who needed could Chinese literature, Du was hailed as take welcome shelter in an immense China’s Shakespeare in Du Fu: Chi house with thousands of rooms, and na’s Greatest Poet, a BBC English saying if only such could be, he documentary that premiered on would be content to be frozen to April 6, 2020. death in his leaking cottage. For those who are not familiar Du’s poems have been referred to with his poetry, visiting the nearly as poetic history since they faithfully 20hectare cottage museum at this record the times he live in and peo time of the year is still a treat because ple’s misfortunes because of the war. of the scent of the 30 varieties of Du’s cottage fell into ruins after he plum trees that are in blossom. The land with its goodness; left. People in Chengdu have had the Clouds hang heavily over A replica of the cottage was built tradition of planting plum trees Country paths; a lone light in 1997, according to the description since ancient times. Shines from a passing boat; of his poems. Lu You (11251210), a native of Morning and I see a damp Not far from the replica is the Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, is Redness on the branches, Shrine of Gongbu (Du’s title as a pet another poet who secured his place Laden down with flowers. ty official for a short time) where a in the history of Chinese literature. Du lived in a period when the statue of Du and those of his admir He was an official in Sichuan and Tang Dynasty (618907), one of Chi ers Lu You and Huang Tingjian visited the Qingyang Taoist Temple na’s most illustrious dynasties, had (10451105), two prominent figures and Du’s cottage, both of which are begun to decline. A war waged by in Chinese literature, are housed. in the western part of Chengdu. At two rebel generals from 755 to 763 The cottage museum also harks 65, he stepped down as an official ravaged many parts of the country back to Du’s era with a gigantic hall and settled down in Shaoxing. and accelerated the dynasty’s end. displaying lots of Tang utensils that Recalling his trip, he penned the fol Du, a native of Gongxian county were discovered on the site in 2001. lowing lines: in Henan province, reached Cheng Workers found Tang ash pits and Riding a horse in west of Chengdu, du in 759 to take refuge from the a site of human existence when lay I was intoxicated with plum blos war. In the ensuring year, he built a ing underground pipelines on the soms; cottage by the Flower Bathing western side of the museum’s main Ten kilometers of fragrance, Brook with financial aid from his entrance and northeastern side of From Qingyang Taoist Temple to friend Yan Wu (726765), who was a the Shrine of Gongbu. Flower Bathing Brook. poet as well as a leading official in Such a find of Tang relics in Du’s cottage by the Flower Bath Sichuan. Chengdu is rare, says Wang Yi, head ing Brook has flowers in all four sea A humanist, Du is revered for his of the Sichuan Provincial Cultural sons, magnolias in spring, lotus writing style with its manifest sym Heritage Administration. flowers in summer, sweetscented pathy for people’s sufferings as a The find has verified Du’s descrip osmanthus in autumn and plum result of the war and his resentment tions of the natural and living envi blossoms in winter. Visitors like the of injustice and corruption. Among ronments around the Flower sweetscented osmanthus and plum his most famous lines are these: Bathing Brook and the location of blossoms most because of their fra There comes the reek of wines his cottage, ending the complaint grance. And meats that rot inside the gates that the museum only displayed lit The Du Fu Thatched Cottage Du wrote quite a few poems on Of these rich, the bones of the erature but no Tang objects. Museum in Sichuan province’s the flowers near his cottage, with Starving and cold are strewn Then again, contemporary visi Chengdu is where Tang the most notable being Good Rain along tors will discover there are many Dynasty poet Du Fu lived for on a Spring Night: The roadsides. things that make Du’s cottage a about four years and A good rain falling The lines have been quoted to unique place in the history of China penned 240 of his 1,400 Just when it should condemn the sharp contrast Visiting the nearly 20hectare cottage museum at this time of the and the world. extant poems. In springtime; riding between the lives of the haves and year is a treat because of the scent of the 30 varieties of plum trees PHOTOS BY HUANG LERAN / On the wind it fills havenots. that are in blossom. Contact the writers through FOR CHINA DAILY A whole night, soaking Du himself was poor throughout PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY AND BY HUANG LERAN / FOR CHINA DAILY [email protected]
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NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR PLANNING APPLICATION Notice is hereby given to the owners of Lot Nos. 105RP (Part), 107 (Part), 108 (Part), 111 (Part), 112, 113, 114 (Part), 115, 116, 118, 119 (Part), 120 (Part), 124 (Part), 127 (Part), 128 and 158 (Part) in D.D. 122, Ping Shan, Yuen Long that I intend to apply for planning permission under section 16 of the Town Planning Ordinance for temporary logistics centre and vehicle park (container tractors, container trailers and lorries (medium/heavy goods vehicles)) for 3 years at the above mentioned lots. The site area is about 21,735 m2. Kwong Cheuk Wing 26 January 2021