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O peak of peaks, how high it stands!
One boundless green overspreads two states.
A marvel done by nature's hands,
Over light and shade it dominates.
Clouds rise there from and lave my breast;
I stretch my eyes to see birds fleet.
I will ascend the mountain's crest;
It dwarfs all peaks under my feet.
Du Fu, also known as Zimei, was born in Xiangyang, Hubei. He later moved to Gongyi, Henan. He gave himself a name of Shaoling Yelao. He was a great realist poet of the Tang Dynasty. Li Bai and he were called "Li and Du". In order to distinguish them from the other two poets, Li Shangyin and Du Mu, who were called "Junior Li and Du", Du Fu and Li Bai are also collectively referred to "Senior Li and Du", and Du Fu is often referred to as "Old Du". Later generations called him Du Shiyi, Du Gongbu, Du Shaoling and Du Caotang according to his official position and private cabinet.
Du Fu created famous poems such as On the Height, Spring View, Journey to the North, Three Officials and Three Departures. His poems reflected the reality of the society, and almost everything that happened in his life had been recorded in the form of poetry. The core of Du Fu's thought is the Confucian benevolent ideology. He has the grand ambition of assisting the ruler to adopt the ways of Emperor Yao and Shun and build an honest and peaceful society. Although Du Fu was not famous when he was alive, he later became well known and had a profound influence on Chinese and Japanese literature. Du Fu's influence in Chinese classical poetry is very far-reaching. He is reserved as a "Poetry Saint" by people, and his poems are called "Poetry History". Du Fu left some 1,500 poems, which have been collected in The Anthology of Du Gongbu. (Video: Yang Jiaxin)
