Du Fu, one of the greatest poets in China, is well-known to most of us. However, Du Fu remains unknown to many Western people. Thanks to a recent documentary Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet which was directed by Michael Wood, a British historian, they have a chance to know more about Du Fu. As the first English-language documentary about Du, it compares him to William Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers of the West.
In the BBC's one-hour documentary, the British historian visited a number of places connected with Du Fu. Michael Wood first visited Henan Province, the poet's birth place. The people there told many fascinating stories of Du Fu. He also visited Du Fu Thatched Cottage (杜甫草堂) in Chengdu, Sichuan, where people can know more about the poet. The documentary also includes works of Du that were read by a famous British actor Sir Ian McKellen. He is known for performing Shakespeare's works.
The documentary explains why Du's poems have been popular for centuries. It is because Du's poems give us a closer look at history. Du lived during the Tang Dynasty and worked for the emperor called Tang Xuanzong. At first, the country was rich and peaceful. But the war happened later and it caused huge problems for the whole country. Du Fu felt sad about the rulers of the government. He also went through ups and downs in his own life, but the poet never stopped pouring out his care for his country and people in his poems.
Du Fu is known as "the saint of poetry" in China. He wrote about 1,400 poems that are still with us today. These poems have been translated into English, which is expected to help Du Fu's works reach more readers.
