Du Fu's Thatched Cottage (杜甫草堂)

The riverside home where the Tang-dynasty poet Du Fu (杜甫) lived in exile for nearly four years and wrote more than 240 poems — including My Thatched Roof Is Broken by the Autumn Wind. Foreign visitors rate it less for the exhibits and more for the tranquil gardens, bamboo groves, red-wall lanes and ponds. It is the calm, green half-day that pairs naturally with People's Park or the next-door Huanhuaxi Park. Go on a weekday morning and you may have the paths to yourself.

First-time visitor essentials — the 4 worries, solved

Before you go

• Cost: ¥50 standard; ¥25 student (with valid student ID); free for over-60s and under-6s. The audio guide is about ¥25, or use the free official WeChat audio tour.
• Opening hours: roughly 08:00–18:00 in winter, with August (summer holiday) opening from 08:30 to 18:30 and last entry around 17:30. Friday and Saturday sometimes stay open later (to ~20:00) in peak season — check the official account.
• Booking: Reserve on the "Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum" (杜甫草堂博物馆) WeChat account with real-name; you scan your ID to enter, no paper ticket.
• Best time: a quiet weekday morning, or spring when the blossoms are out. Avoid weekend afternoons when the nearby streets get busy.
• Time needed: 1.5–2 hours for a relaxed walk; more if you linger over tea or add Huanhuaxi Park next door.

How to get there

• Metro (recommended): Line 4 to Caotang Road North (草堂北路) Station, Exit B, then a 10-minute walk to the north gate. Alternatively, Line 13 to Du Fu Cottage (杜甫草堂) Station, Exit C2, a 5-minute walk to the east gate.
• Bus: routes 19, 35, 58 or 82 to the "Du Fu Cottage" (杜甫草堂) stop, right at the gate.
• From the city center: a DiDi from Tianfu Square takes about 20–30 minutes and costs roughly ¥20–30, depending on traffic.
• Walk-on option: the cottage sits beside free Huanhuaxi Park (浣花溪公园) — enter the park from the south and you can step straight into the cottage's south gate.
• Combo with Wuhou Shrine: Wuhou Shrine and Jinli are about 15–20 minutes away by DiDi; do the cottage in the morning and the shrine after lunch.

How long to spend

• Quick: 1 hour if you only want the thatched cottage, the red-wall lane and a photo.
• Recommended: 1.5–2 hours to add the poetry halls, the stele pavilion and a slow walk through the bamboo.
• Half day: 2.5–3 hours if you include Huanhuaxi Park next door, or stop for gaiwan tea inside the cottage.

Popular must-sees

• The Thatched Cottage (茅屋故居): a faithful 1:1 reconstruction of Du Fu's simple home, rebuilt from the poem that made it famous. The emotional heart of the site and the top photo spot.
• Hall of Poetry History (诗史堂): the core exhibition hall with a statue of the poet and displays on his life — a quick way to understand why he is called the "Poet Sage" (诗圣).
• Shaoling Stele Pavilion (少陵草堂碑亭): the iconic stone stele under pines and bamboo — the classic postcard frame of the cottage.
• The Red-Wall Lane / Flower Path (花径红墙): the most photogenic spot — a red wall lined with bamboo where the light is best before 10am. Hanfu photography is everywhere here.
• Da Ya Hall (大雅堂): a grand hall with twelve poet sculptures and murals of Tang-dynasty life — good shade and a natural resting point.
• Gongbu Shrine (工部祠): the memorial shrine to Du Fu, quieter than the main halls and a nice place to slow down.

Hidden gems and local favorites

• Tang-dynasty ruins (唐代遗址): a glass-floored pit showing the real foundations and pottery of a Tang-era household — a genuine archaeological layer beneath the gardens.
• Bonsai Garden (盆景园): a small, almost-empty courtyard of classical penjing trees — locals sit here, tourists rarely do.
• Deep bamboo groves: wander past the main loop into the bamboo and you'll find benches, stillness and the "sound of wind in the bamboo" the poets wrote about.
• Early-morning emptiness: arrive at opening and the red wall and cottage are yours alone — the best light and zero crowds.
• Huanhuaxi Park (浣花溪公园): the free riverside park next door, with a "Poem Road" of carved Tang poems and flocks of tame koi. A perfect, free add-on.
• Qingyang Palace (青羊宫): a 10-minute walk east, Chengdu's oldest Taoist temple — combine the two for a full cultural morning.
• Shu Brocade Museum (蜀锦织绣博物馆): 5 minutes north, a free museum of Sichuan's silk-weaving craft with live embroidery demos.

Things to watch out for

• Real-name booking: you must book on the official WeChat account and scan your ID (passport) at the gate — there is no walk-up cash ticket desk that skips this.
• Timing: it's basically open year-round, but hours shift by season; Friday/Saturday evening openings are seasonal, so confirm before you go. Weekday mornings are by far the quietest.
• Tea pavilions: gaiwan tea inside the cottage is pleasant but priced for the setting (around ¥25–40). Cheaper tea is a short walk outside the gate.
• Hanfu rentals: vendors near the entrance rent costumes for photos (¥50–150). Fun, but agree the price and return time first.
• Free Wi-Fi trap: the on-site network needs a Chinese mobile number to log in; an eSIM is the reliable way to stay online.
• Rain is fine: the covered lanes and pavilions make rainy days atmospheric and crowd-free — bring an umbrella, not a reason to skip it.
• No flash, no climbing: the stele and old structures are fragile; stay on the paths and don't step onto the cottage threshold.

After you leave

• Huanhuaxi Park: step out the south gate straight into the free park for a flat, shady riverside walk.
• Eat nearby: the streets around the north gate have good, affordable Sichuan restaurants away from the tourist core — dandan noodles, twice-cooked pork, tea.
• Pair with the shrine: DiDi 15–20 minutes to Wuhou Shrine and Jinli for a full west-Chengdu day.
• Complaints: the 12345 tourist hotline handles any ticketing issue.

Before you arrive — quick setup

• Book: follow the "Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum" (杜甫草堂博物馆) WeChat account and reserve a real-name ticket 1 day ahead in peak season.
• Maps: save "Du Fu Thatched Cottage" (杜甫草堂) and "Caotang Road North" (草堂北路) in Chinese for offline use.
• Shoes: comfortable flats — the loop is ~3 km of paths and stone.

Quick facts