Travel back in time at Tang poet cottage

For lovers of Chinese literature, the Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, is a must-see.

Dedicated to one of China's greatest poets who lived during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), the museum also offers a great getaway for relaxation.

With the sweet-smelling osmanthus in bloom at this time of the year, the museum will be thrown open to visitors at night for the first time.

From Sept 20 to Oct 20, one can visit the museum from 6:30 pm to 10 pm by paying a 20 yuan ($2.9) entrance fee.

Built at a cost of more than 20 million yuan, the museum recently renovated its ancient buildings, grounds and ponds, equipping them with state-of-the-art lighting.

It will also offer a variety of activities for visitors for the one month coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival on Sept 22 and the National Day Holiday from Oct 1 to 7.

They will be able to appreciate traditional Chinese music and dance, as well as witness the tea-drinking ceremonies of the Tang Dynasty.

Since Chinese chess (called xiangqi) competitions were common during the Tang Dynasty, there will be one held every evening from Sept 20 to Oct 20. Winners will get to visit the museum at night for free, says curator Jia Lan.

Other attractions include puppet shows and handicraft demonstrations.

Visitors can also witness the parade of 30 to 50 women dressed in Tang costumes, and holding lanterns and fans, in the museum every night.

Located on the banks of the Flower Bathing Brook in Chengdu, the museum is not a cottage in the literal sense. It is, instead, a commemorative museum including a traditional Chinese garden built at the site where the poet Du Fu (AD 712-770) constructed a thatched cottage for his family in AD 760.

His poems are an integral part of school textbooks, and any foreign student of Chinese literature should be acquainted with his works.

Du lived during the period that marked the beginning of the decline of the Tang Dynasty. He experienced a war fought by two rebel generals from AD 755 to 763, which ravaged many parts of the country and led to the dynasty's decline.

A native of Gongxian county in Central China's Henan province, Du moved to Chengdu in AD 759 to escape the war.

The following spring, he built a cottage by the Flower Bathing Brook with the help of a friend. There he lived a peaceful life for about four years, writing 240 of his existing 1,400 poems.

Du's poems are known for sympathetic portrayals of human suffering and bitterness in the face of injustice and corruption.

Today, the Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum consists of several structures including a replica of Du's thatched cottage built in 1997, based on descriptions found in his poems.