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Unit 3
Du Fu Thatched Cottage

Location

No.37 Qinghua

Road, Qingyang

District of Chengdu,

Sichuan province,

China.

Reasons to visit

Former residences

of celebrities;

Unique historical

building.

General Introduction

Du Fu Thatched Cottage is the former residence of the famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, Du Fu. Compelled by poverty and social upheaval in the year of 759 A.D., Du Fu moved from Gansu Province to the suburbs of Chengdu and built a thatched cottage.During nearly four years of his stay there, Du Fu composed more than 240 poems refl ecting upon the misery and the real life of the common people. Although the original residence disappeared a long time ago, the site was renovated in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and enlarged to its present scale as a park with fine gardening. A symbolic thatched cottage was built to give visitors association to the original site. And it is esteemed as the holy land of Chinese traditional literature and the place to memorize this Saint of Poetry.

Commentary

Read the following text and take notes of important information, useful words and expressions in the right column while reading.

Good morning, I am your tour guide Cheng Yu, and I hope you are all happy to spend the next few days. Welcome to Chengdu again! Chengdu is known as the land of abundance.Today I will first take you to visit the former residence of the literator—Du Fu Thatched Cottage!

Located in the western suburbs of Chengdu, Du Fu Thatched Cottage was listed as the fi rst batch of national key cultural relics protection unit by the State Council in 1961. The tour line of today is Front Gate, Lobby, Hall of Historical Poetry, the Thatched Gate,the Gongbu Shrine and the Thatched Pavilion. The tour will take about 50 minutes or so. After an hour, we will gather at the back door.

Dear friends, entering through the Front Gate, we arrive at the Lobby. Because Du Fu once held the o ficial post of Shiyi,an advisor in Gongbu, people named this building Lobby just to show their respect to him. There is a statue of Du Fu in the middle of the hall, which is a masterpiece by the famous Chinese sculptor Qian Shaowu. This slim bronze statue, in a kneeling position, is an abstract and exaggerated model, which indicates the poet's hard life and his concern for the nation.

Now we arrive at Gongbu Shrine. The Gongbu Shrine here is the last memorial building on the cottage compound. People built a shrine on the site of Du Fu's cottage to honor him. Here is another couplet, which hangs on the top of the front door. The couplet reads that Du Fu owned Jinjiang River and the spring breeze, on the seventh day for the fi rst lunar month did I come to visit his cottage. Renri was referred to the seventh day of the fi rst month of the Chinese lunar calendar in ancient times.

Please look at the statues inside the hall. As you know, the Gongbu Shrine is a small hall dedicated to the memory of Du Fu. Therefore, it is at the center of the six important sites on the cottage compound. The hall contains a statue of Du Fu in the middle. There are two other statues fl anking him. Who are these fi gures? The one on the right is Huang Tingjian(黄庭坚,10451105), and the one on the left is Lu You(陆游,1125-1210).These two fi gures were well-known poets of the Song Dynasty and played an important role in traditional Chinese literary history. Visitors may ask why Huang Tingjian and Lu You were chosen to accompany Du Fu at this memorial cottage out of the thousands of poets in traditional Chinese literary history. Some critics think that Huang Tingjian and Lu You both made great achievements in studying Du Fu's poetry. And Du Fu's statue might feel lonely in the Gongbu Shrine if there were not any companions. So the statues of the two poets were placed in the same hall, so that the three poets might have time to talk about their poetry. People also call the hall the Shrine of the Three Sages.

Well, there is a huge tablet placed in a straw-roofed pavilion on the left side of the Gongbu Shrine. The inscription Shao Ling Cao Tang is a calligraphic masterpiece of Prince Guo, the 17th son of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty in the 17th century.They were written by when he visited the cottage. It is also an ideal place to have a picture taken for a good memory.

Ladies and gentlemen, our tour to Du Fu Thatched Cottage is approaching the end. Now you are free to walk around the cottage. I will meet you at the entrance of the back door after 30 minutes. Please pay attention to safety and time.

Cultural Tips

How did the custom of “Travel on Renri” come into being in Chengdu?

Chengdu people have the custom of outing. The starting date is on the seventh day of the fi rst lunar month, due to the verse—“on the seventh day of the fi rst lunar month did I come to visit this cottage” left at the temple by He Shaoji, who was a Xuezheng(Education Executive)in Sichuan province in the Qing Dynasty. People in Chengdu advocate literature, so they visit Du Fu's thatched cottage on this day and express the feeling “now I return”. Meanwhile, it is also a memorial to scholars of the past like Du Fu, Lu You, Huang Tingjian, and He Shaoji, etc. Since then, people in Chengdu regard Renri as the day to have an outing in spring.

成都人素有浣花郊游的习俗。但将每年开始日选在正月初七,却是因为清朝时期的四川学政何绍基曾在工部祠留下“草堂人日我归来”的名句。成都人历来尚文,于是在“人日”这一天,都要去“草堂”抒发一番“我归来”的感慨,同时也是对杜甫、陆游、黄庭坚、何绍基等先贤的一种纪念。自此,成都人将“人日”与踏青画了等号。

Language Focus

Words and Expressions

compel / kəmˈpel/ v . 强迫,迫使

upheaval / ʌpˈhi:vl/ n . 突变,剧变

esteem / ɪˈstiːm/ v . 重,敬重;认为

pavilion / pəˈvɪliən/ n . 亭,阁楼;大型文体馆;看台

sculptor / ˈskʌlptə(r)/ n . 雕刻家,雕塑家

compound / ˈkɒmpaʊnd/ n . 化合物,混合物;有围墙的场地

couplet / ˈkʌplət/ n . 对句;对联

calendar / ˈkælɪndə(r)/ n . 日历;历法;日程表

fl ank / fl æŋk/ v . 两侧(或一侧)有;在……侧面

sage / seɪdʒ / n . 圣人;智者;贤人

inscription / ɪnˈskrɪpʃn/ n . 题词;献词;碑文

Useful Sentences

1. Located in the Western suburbs of Chengdu, Du Fu Thatched Cottage was listed as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection unit by the State Council in 1961.

杜甫草堂位于成都市西郊,1961年被国务院公布为第一批全国重点文物保护单位。

2. This slim bronze statue, in a kneeling position, is an abstract and exaggerated model, which indicates the poet's hard life and his concern for the nation. model, which indicates the poet's hard life and his concern for the nation. model, which indicates the poet's hard life and his concern for the nation. model, which indicates the poet's hard life and his concern for the nation. model, which indicates the poet's hard life and his concern for the nation. model, which indicates the poet's hard life and his concern for the nation. model, which indicates the poet's hard life and his concern for the nation. model, which indicates the poet's hard life and his concern for the nation.

这座纤细略带抽象与夸张的青铜塑像,以跪姿的形式呈现,展现了诗人艰苦的生活及忧国忧民的神态。

3. Renri was referred to the seventh day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar in the ancient times.

在古代,农历正月初七被称为人日。(古代四川人认为,正月初一至初七分别为各种动物和人的节日,即一鸡、二狗、三猪、四羊、五牛、六马、七人。)

4. Du Fu owned Jinjiang River and the spring breeze, on the seventh day for human beings did I come and visit his cottage.beings did I come and visit his cottage.

锦水春风公占却,草堂人日我归来。

5. People also call the hall the Shrine of the Three Sages.

人们称之为三贤堂。

Practice and Exercises

Task 1 Discuss with your partners and then answer the questions according to the passage.

1. Could you introduce Du Fu and his representative works?

2. Where is Du Fu Thatched Cottage located?

3. How many main structures does Du Fu Thatched Cottage consist of?

4. What kind of architecture is the Gongbu Shrine?

5. What do people do on the Renri?

Task 2 Complete the following sentences with the words and phrases in the box.

abundance exaggerate indicate memorial honor dedicate figure occupy

1. The book ____________ the di ficulties he faced in starting his career.

2. Early results ___________ that the government will be returned to power.

3. Color images __________ an important position in the poems of Tang and Song Dynasties.

4. In China we have a holiday for people to __________ the relatives and friends who have passed away, which is called Tomb-Sweeping Day.

5. Peking Opera styles of makeup, is based on certain personality, temperament or some special types of ______________ for the use of certain colors.

6. Sichuan is known as the land of __________ in China for having amazing food production capabilities and lots of natural resources.

7. Located in the northwest of the People's Park, the ____________ to Railway Protection Movement is in memory of the heroes who sacrifi ced themselves in the Railway Protection Movement in 1911.

8. Zhang Guimei ___________ 40 years of her life to helping and motivating young girls from impoverished families in the mountainous areas of Yunnan Province to pursue higher education.

Task 3 Complete the following sentences by translating the words or phrases in brackets into English.

1. Today I will first take you to visit _______________________(文人故居)—Du Fu Thatched Cottage!

2. The tour line of today is Front Gate, Lobby, _______________________(诗史堂), the Thatched Gate, _______________________(工部祠)and the Thatched Pavilion.

3. Because Du Fu _______________________(曾担任拾遗官职), an advisor in Gongbu,people named this building Lobby, just to _______________________(以示尊敬).

4. People built a shrine _______________________(在茅屋的原址上)to honor him.

5. It is also _______________________(理想的位置)to have a picture taken for a good memory.

6. These two fi gures were well-known poets of the Song Dynasty and _____________________(占有重要的地位)in traditional Chinese literary history.

7. Our today's tour to Du Fu Thatched Cottage _______________________(接近尾声).

Listening Activities

Listen to the passages and fi ll in the blanks with the missing words or expressions you have heard.

Passage 1
Huanhuaxi Park

The cultural background of Huan Huaxi Park is the culture of Du Fu Thatched Cottage. Huanhuaxi Park1._______ modern design of garden and architecture with a deep historical culture of west Sichuan.Huanhuaxi brook and Gan river fl ow across here. This park 2._________ an area of 32.32 hectares, 3._________ Wanshu Garden, Plum Garden and Egret Garden. When you arrive at the front gate of Du Fu Thatched Cottage, you will see a shimmering brook—the Huanhua Brook, which was 4._________ mentioned by Du Fu in his poetry. It is said that in the Tang Dynasty, a girl whose surname was Ren was washing clothes by the brook when a monk came and asked her to wash his 5._________ cassock. The girl agreed without 6._________. As soon as she immersed the cassock into the water, numerous lotus fl owers 7._________ in the brook. From then on, people named the brook Huanhuaxi, which means “a washing-flower brook”. In the morning, the park is the place where people do morning exercises, like Taichi.In the daytime, it is the fl ourishing 8. _________ to tourists and wedding couples having their wedding photos taken.

Passage 2
Chengdu People's Park

Chengdu People's Park is located on Shaocheng Road in the downtown area and is a 1._________ in the bustling downtown center.Built in 1911, the park covers a total area of 112,639 square meters. Chengdu People's Park is a 2._________ park with garden, culture,cultural relics protection, patriotism education,3.________ and entertainment in a whole. There are many famous 4._________ in the People's Park, including the Gold Water Stream,the Goldfish Island and the Potted Landscape Garden. Besides 5._________ the charming landscape, tourists can sail on the artifi cial lake, drink tea in the teahouse by the lake and watch all kinds of 6._________ on the Rockery Square. The chrysanthemum show(菊展)and the Singing Crane Teahouse are time-honored and known 7._________. People will get relaxed and 8._________ here. You can take Metro Line 2 to People's Park Station, Exit B. Walk for three minutes, and enter the park through North Gate.

Work Sheet

单元学习记录表

Study Record EQDgPnkJTRr/NfZ3I68dKYwxwyPP5tTjx7evJEzQ+UkqtE3Lr9P3pYfSp3t9Bc4A

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