Du Fu (712–770), courtesy name Zimei, was one of China's greatest poets, revered as the 'Poet Sage' of the Tang Dynasty. Living through the devastating An Lushan Rebellion, he witnessed firsthand the suffering of ordinary people and bore witness through his poetry, earning his work the title 'poetic history.' Paired with Li Bai as 'Li-Du,' his masterpieces include 'Spring Prospect,' 'The Three Officers and The Three Partings,' and 'My Thatched Roof is Ruined by the Autumn Wind.'
Du Fu's poetry is characterized by profound compassion, formal precision, and somber intensity. His regulated verse is considered the highest achievement in the form, and his humanitarian spirit shines in lines like 'How I wish for a mansion of ten thousand rooms to shelter all poor scholars with smiling faces.' Du Fu established the enduring Chinese literary ideal of the poet as social witness, profoundly shaping the tradition of engaged, compassionate literature for over a millennium.
