Two orioles chirp on green willow trees, a row of egrets fly into the sky.
Through the window I can see the ancient snow of the Xiling snow-capped mountain.
Near my door anchor boats from distant East China.
Above is one of the best-known verses by Du Fu, a celebrated Tang Dynasty poet who lived for a number of years in Chengdu during the eighth century.
During his time in Chengdu he was at his most creative, writing a number of poems depicting the peaceful life he had there in his famous ‘thatched hut’, among them My Thatched Hut was torn apart by Autumn Wind.
Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage (albeit a reconstruction) remains just as peaceful today – set within a tranquil park of quiet courtyards and gardens, with carp-filled ponds, tall pines and bamboo thickets, open-sided shrines and bronze and stone statues of the great man.
It’s a getaway from the modern buildings and congested roads of Chengdu, where locals come to practice Tai Chi in the mornings and listen to the song of laughing thrushes.
