Du Fu Thatched Cottage (杜甫草堂)

Classical garden · Chengdu. A ticketed memorial garden on the site where the Tang poet Du Fu lived in Chengdu.

Source: https://chinafootnotes.com/places/du-fu-thatched-cottage · Data checked 2026-10-08 · Rendered for 2026-10-09 (Asia/Shanghai). Facts carry their status; "not found yet" means we searched and found no reliable source.

Why go

Du Fu Thatched Cottage (杜甫草堂) is a memorial garden and museum on the site where the Tang poet Du Fu lived in Chengdu. A Ming–Qing shrine axis, a rebuilt thatched cottage, excavated Tang remains, bamboo, water and seasonal plant shows share one park west of the centre. It suits a slow half day, and a ticket is needed.

What to do

• Walk the central axis. Main Gate, Daxie Hall (大廨), the Hall of Poetic History (诗史堂), Chaimen Gate (柴门) and the Gongbu Shrine (工部祠) stand in a line, the layout kept from the Qing rebuilding. Following the order makes the site easy to read.
• Cross to the rebuilt thatched cottage. From the Shaoling Cottage stele pavilion (少陵草堂碑亭), go north over a wooden bridge to the rebuilt dwelling. It is laid out from the landscape in Du Fu's poems, so the water, plants and thatch are the point rather than any single object.
• Walk the red-wall lane to the screen wall. The Flower Path (花径) is a red-walled lane that ends at the 草堂 screen wall made of blue-and-white porcelain fragments. It is the site's best-known photo spot.
• Look at the Tang-era remains. The Tang Dynasty Site hall shows excavated foundations and pottery from the period of the poet's stay. It is the least decorative and most historical stop in the garden.
• Rest at the academy or a tea stop. Caotang Academy (草堂书院), opened in 2021, has a quiet library, and tea rooms near the gates serve gaiwan tea. Both give a break between sights.

• Don't miss: The museum has four visitor gates. Two are confirmed by name: the North Gate (青华路37号) with the visitor centre and car park, and the Main Gate (草堂路28号, the west gate) at the head of the old axis. A car park at 草堂路2号 serves the South Gate. The museum's pages do not name the fourth gate, so decide which gate suits your route before you arrive.

• Best time: Right at opening, before tour groups
• Skip if: If Chinese poetry and inscriptions hold no interest, the visit is mainly a bamboo-and-water garden walk, so a free city park may serve you as well.

Practical details

• Hours: 09:00–18:00 daily · 08:30–18:30 on holiday periods
• Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 09:00–18:00, last entry 17:00
• Spring Festival, Labour Day, summer holiday and National Day periods use 08:30–18:30 (sales stop 17:30); the operator announces the exact dates each time.
• No weekly closing day is listed on the operator pages.
• One Nov 2025 Xiaohongshu post lists summer 08:00–18:00 and winter 08:00–17:30; the operator pages and two 2026 posts give 09:00–18:00 with last entry 17:00, which matches the operator's hours.
• Admission: Ticketed · ¥50 adult · ¥25 student
• Adult: ¥50
• Half price (full-time students, undergraduate or below, with ID and student card): ¥25
• Annual pass (card, one year; entry requires swiping a PRC ID card): ¥100
• Concession: Full-time students at undergraduate level or below ¥25 (Valid ID and student card)
• Free: Minors under 18 (exchange for a free ticket) (Valid ID; under-14s need an accompanying adult with a ticket)
• Free: Age 60+ with a PRC ID, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan permit or PRC permanent-residence card (Original document at the window or ID swipe)
• Free: Disabled visitors, veterans, serving military, police, firefighters and other listed groups (Listed certificate plus ID; see the official list)
• Holiday and weekend days use the same prices; the operator confirmed ¥50 / ¥25 / ¥100 in its holiday notice.
• Over-60 free entry applies to PRC ID holders, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan permit holders and PRC permanent-residence card holders; an ordinary foreign passport is not listed.
• Each adult may bring up to three minors; under-14s must be accompanied by an adult who buys or exchanges a ticket.
• Travel-agency groups get 10% off the full price if registered 1–3 working days ahead on the group ticket system.
• The ¥100 annual pass is used by swiping the holder's original PRC resident ID card at every entry, one person per pass; a foreign passport cannot be used.
• Booking: Window or WeChat · books 14 days ahead
• Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum service account (杜甫草堂博物馆（微信服务号）) — WeChat → search 杜甫草堂博物馆 → menu 购票指南 → 在线购票
• Comprehensive service window (综合服务窗口) · passport: yes
• Passport accepted: yes — Bring the original passport to the service window; you receive a paper voucher for the gate.
• Over the holiday period the operator applies a reserve, stagger and limit approach; QR-code entry replaces the paper ticket for online orders.
• Concession holders must exchange tickets at the service window with the document and their own ID.
• The museum does not say whether online booking accepts a passport; passports are listed for window purchase.
• Last admission: Tickets sold until 17:00 (17:30 when hours extend)
• Time to allow: 2–3 hr
• Getting there: Line 13 · Du Fu Thatched Cottage · Exit C2
• Metro Line 13 to Du Fu Thatched Cottage (杜甫草堂), Exit C2, about 3 min walk
• Show a taxi driver: 成都市青羊区青华路37号 杜甫草堂博物馆北门
• Line 4 (Caotang Beilu) and Line 5 (Qingyanggong) stations are walks to the North Gate; the museum lists them but gives no times.
• Some 2026 blogs still say there is no direct metro line; Line 13 Du Fu Thatched Cottage station opened in December 2025 and the museum now directs visitors to it.
• The museum has four gates. Confirmed addresses: North Gate at 37 Qinghua Rd (visitor centre and underground car park), Main Gate (west gate) at 28 Caotang Rd. The South Gate car park is at 2 Caotang Rd; the fourth gate is not named in the museum's pages.
• Visitor posts put the walk from Exit C2 at about 400 m to the East Gate (Jun 2026) and 15 minutes (Nov 2025); one Feb 2026 post gives 8 minutes for Line 4 Exit B or Line 13 Exit C2 together. The museum says only that C2 leads to the North Gate. Line 4 Caotang Beilu Exit B is put at 8–10 minutes on foot.
• Foreign visitors: Passport tickets at the window; foreign-language guides

Not found yet

• foreignVisitors.foreignPhone: Operator material does not say whether the WeChat service account accepts overseas phone numbers or foreign passports for online booking. (searched: operator ticket regulations (zh/en), English personal blogs, Chengdu local portal, Xiaohongshu)
• foreignVisitors.payment.foreignCard: Payment methods at the service window are not stated; 2025–2026 Chengdu news reports Visa support at Kuanzhai Alley shops, not at this museum. (searched: operator ticket regulations (zh/en), Chengdu news, English personal blogs, Xiaohongshu)

Traveler tips

• Book up to 14 days ahead. Search the WeChat service account 杜甫草堂博物馆, open 购票指南 then 在线购票, and choose your visit date. On the day, scan the order QR code at the gate; no paper ticket is needed. Ticket windows also sell on the day, so booking ahead mainly saves queue time. Caveat: The 14-day horizon and QR entry come from the museum's holiday notice and its standing 预约参观 page. Whether the WeChat flow accepts a foreign passport is not stated, so passport holders should use the window. source
• Foreign visitors: buy at the window. The operator's notice lists the ID card, passport, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan permit and permanent-resident card for window purchase. Passport holders receive a paper entry voucher and show it at the gate. Bring the original passport and allow queue time at the window. Caveat: Window purchase is in the museum's holiday notice and a 2023 local-portal page. The museum does not say whether online booking accepts a passport. source
• Over-60 free entry excludes foreign passports. Free entry from age 60 covers holders of a PRC resident ID, a Hong Kong or Macau permit, a Taiwan permit or a PRC permanent-residence card. A foreign senior on a passport should expect the ¥50 ticket. Half price (¥25) is for full-time students at undergraduate level or below with ID and student card. Minors under 18 can exchange for a free ticket, and each adult can bring up to three. Caveat: The English version of the ticket rules lists prices and the minor rule only. Whether a foreign student card is accepted is not stated. source
• Free audio and paid guides. Follow the official account, open 参观指南 then 游览攻略 and tap a sight to hear free audio in Chinese and English. QR codes at the four gates and at the sights sell other languages (English, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic) at ¥18 each. A live foreign-language guide for individuals costs ¥60 per person for about an hour; Chinese guides start at ¥120 a session for one to three people. Caveat: Prices are from the operator's undated guide-service page, which also lists 810 self-service audio devices at ¥25 per use. A Ctrip listing shows different guide prices; the operator's own page is the reference. Jane&Happy (Aug 2026) simply recommends downloading the audio guide. The museum's English site names the official account as 'dfctbwg'. 小予 (Nov 2025) lists the entrance audio device at ¥30 and Chinese guides at ¥120 for one to three people, about one hour; the ¥120 matches the operator, the ¥30 differs from the operator's ¥25. (2 travelers) source
• English captions are uneven. The poems carved on steles and walls are in Chinese only, while the life-story exhibition rooms are reported to have English captions. Load a translation app, or use the free English audio, before you go. Caveat: Two blogs describe different areas: Alison Mullins (Oct 2025) found almost every display in the life-story rooms had good English; Junpei (Jan 2026) found no English translations on the poem steles. Neither is an operator statement. source
• Choose the gate that suits you. The visitor centre and an underground car park are at the North Gate (青华路37号). The Main Gate (草堂路28号) opens onto the old shrine axis, and the South Gate is near the tea rooms and the quietest path. Starting at the Main Gate follows the buildings in their original order and ends near the South Gate. An East Gate, about 400 m from Line 13 Exit C2, is also used: leaving by it puts you on the way to the Sichuan Museum (四川博物院, closed on Mondays), and there are small restaurants across the bridge. Caveat: The museum has four gates; its pages name the North Gate and Main (west) Gate and give a car park at 草堂路2号 for the South Gate, but do not name the fourth gate. The Main-Gate-first route is the suggestion of one annual-pass holder (晚風輕輕吹, Apr 2026), who also notes that most visitors enter at the North Gate because the visitor centre is there. 小饼干爱吃饭 (May 2025) calls the North Gate the new main gate and the South Gate the former one, but the museum's pages call the west gate the Main Gate; 李同叔讲成都 (May 2025, a guide account) also says the west gate is the main gate and that most visitors mistake the South Gate for it. Two authors call the fourth gate the East Gate (小饼干爱吃饭, May 2025; 郗南摄影, Jun 2026); 郗南摄影's 400 metres from Exit C2 differs from the museum's description of Exit C2 leading to the North Gate. Neither gives a walking time to the Sichuan Museum; its closing day is from 小饼干爱吃饭 and should be checked on its own site. (3 travelers) source
• Take Line 13 to Exit C2. Line 13's Du Fu Thatched Cottage station (杜甫草堂站) opened in December 2025, and the museum tells visitors to leave by Exit C2, which leads straight to the North Gate. Lines 4 (Caotang Beilu, Exit B) and 5 (Qingyanggong) are longer walks to the same gate; visitors put the Line 4 walk at about 8–10 minutes. Older guides that say there is no direct metro line are out of date. Caveat: A 2026 blog by 晚風輕輕吹 still says there is no direct metro line and rates the walk from Lines 2 and 4 at about 20 minutes; the operator page and station opening date take precedence. Walking times from Exit C2 differ: 郗南摄影 (Jun 2026) says about 400 metres to the East Gate, 🌈小予 (Nov 2025) says 15 minutes, and 卡卡的旅行日记 (Feb 2026) gives 8 minutes for Line 4 Exit B or Line 13 Exit C2 together, so it cannot be read as C2 alone. The museum describes C2 as leading to the North Gate. For Line 4, 赛卡 (May 2025) says about 10 minutes from Exit B. (5 travelers) source
• Wear non-slip shoes and repellent. Paths and steps stay damp and mossy after rain, so walk slowly. In summer the garden has many mosquitoes; long sleeves help, and the visitor centre lends or hands out repellent lotion and umbrellas. Caveat: Moss is in the operator's visiting guidelines. 晚風輕輕吹 (Apr 2026) slipped on moss on a rainy day and recommends long sleeves and repellent in summer; Jane&Happy (Aug 2026) advises sunscreen and mosquito protection. 小予 (Nov 2025) also advises repellent because mosquitoes are plentiful. (3 travelers) source
• Arrive at opening. Summer days brought more than 22,000 visitors on average, so the paths and the red-wall lane are busy. Being at the gate when it opens (09:00, or 08:30 in extended-hours periods) or entering after 16:00 are the simplest ways to avoid the biggest crowd. The stretch between the South Gate and the Main Gate is the least busy. _Caveat: The 22,000 figure is the museum director's statement for the 2026 summer holiday period (published in Guangming Daily). YoYo_7A6A4S6S (Sep 2026) found it hard to feel the quiet because of the crowds; Alison Mullins (Oct 2025) met hundreds of other people in summer heat; the quiet-stretch remark is 晚風輕輕吹's. Arriving at opening is our advice, not a measured crowd level. 卡卡的旅行日记 (Feb 2026) and 小予 (Nov 2025) both name opening time and after 16:00 as quieter, and 卡卡的旅行日记 says the North Gate had no queue, although other sources say most visitors use it. 高高兴兴走一走 (3 Oct 2026, National Day holiday) found the thatched-cottage area packed, traffic stuck about 1 km away, and advises avoiding holidays. Last entry is 17:00._ (6 travelers) source
• Leave big bags and drones outside. Everyone passes a security check, and large luggage should be left in storage. Pets (except guide dogs), electric mobility aids, drones and smoking, including e-cigarettes, are banned. Using a speaker to guide a group needs approval, and unlicensed paid guiding or selling inside the museum gets visitors removed. source
• One ticket, one entry. Tickets are valid for a single visit: if you leave the museum and want to go back in, you must buy a new ticket. Caveat: From the museum's visiting guidelines (Chinese and English versions); the page is undated. source
• Free wheelchair and stroller loans. The visitor centre lends wheelchairs and strollers free from 09:00 to 17:30 against a ¥300 deposit and a registration form; strollers carry up to 15 kg and wheelchairs up to 90 kg. Boiled water, umbrellas, reading glasses and first-aid items are also provided. Caveat: The service page names the visitor centre; the museum's transport page places the visitor centre at the North Gate (青华路37号). source
• Rest at a gaiwan tea stop. Gaiwan tea is served by the North Gate and in a thatched-roof tea cottage on the way to the cottage area, which fills up in warm weather. A quieter tea room sits in the Caotang Art Center between the South Gate and the Main Gate, with prices described as normal. Caveat: 晚風輕輕吹 (Apr 2026) and Junpei (Jan 2026) each describe a tea stop; neither gives a price list. 赛卡 (May 2025) adds a teahouse near the North Gate that also sells cold noodles and cold jelly; no post gives tea prices. (2 travelers) source
• Look at the cats, do not feed them. Orange cats nap on stone steps around the paths and are a popular photo subject. The museum's rules forbid feeding cats and fish, so look but do not offer food. Caveat: The cats are from Maryyngyng1's post (Apr 2025); the ban on feeding is in the operator's guidelines. source
• Ask what is blooming. The garden rotates seasonal shows through the year (red plum, orchids in spring and summer editions, lotus, bonsai), which change what the paths look like. Summer lotus can be seen near Yilan Pavilion. Caveat: Show dates change every year and the museum's pages list no fixed calendar. The lotus pairing with summer is 晚風輕輕吹's observation. source
• Much of the garden is rebuilt. The thatched cottage you see was rebuilt from Du Fu's poems, and little of the Tang-era site survives above ground. Expect a landscaped memorial park of Qing-style halls and newer buildings rather than original Tang architecture. Poetry fans and garden lovers rate the bamboo, water and red walls highly, especially on a rainy day; other visitors find the ¥50 ticket poor value and the life-story displays thin. The visit works best if you know a few of his poems. Caveat: Opinions are mixed. 有坑必踩狐 (Aug 2026) says almost everything apart from a few stelae and a stone portrait is newly built and calls the site a new Chinese-style garden; 杜若若 (Jul 2026), abnfjfg (Sep 2026), 沙陀王 (Jan 2026) and Sissi 蒙娜丽猫 (Jan 2026) were underwhelmed; Alice (Aug 2026) reports French friends who loved the thatched-cottage look while other tourists said the ticket was not worth it; 小予 (Nov 2025) recommends a cloudy or rainy day. The 1997 date for the rebuilt cottage comes from two guide accounts, 李同叔讲成都 (May 2025) and 成都绿野 (Sep 2026), which are guide accounts. Replies under these posts split both ways on value. (7 travelers) source
• Be careful with gate guides. Before the garden opens at 09:00, people near the North Gate (青华路37号) may offer a guided tour at about ¥30 per person. A 2025 visitor found it was an ad-hoc group that spent about an hour near the front buildings and never went into the garden. The official audio on the museum's account is free. Caveat: 小饼干爱吃饭 (May 2025) paid ¥30 for the gate offer and tells others to use the official desk; replies under the post agree. 有坑必踩狐 (Aug 2026) paid ¥30 for a guide sold just inside the South Gate, found the delivery good but one historical statement simplified, and considers ¥30 the official guide price, so a ¥30 guide is not always a tout. 小予 (Nov 2025) lists ¥120 for one to three people, about one hour. Guide quality is reported both ways in the replies. (3 travelers) source
• Luggage storage and a free stamp. Paid luggage storage is available only at the North Gate and the South Gate. You can bring your own notebook to collect a free souvenir stamp at the museum. Caveat: Single post (小予, Nov 2025), whose opening hours and metro information are out of date, so ask at the gate to confirm the storage points, fee and stamp location. source
• Red-wall photos: dress light or red. The Flower Path (花径) is a red-walled lane shaded by bamboo and is the most photographed spot in the garden. Visitors recommend plain, light or red clothes, or Hanfu, against the red wall and green bamboo. The light is softest around opening time and after 16:00, and rain or overcast skies make the colours richer. Caveat: 卡卡的旅行日记 (Feb 2026) suggests before 09:00 or after 16:00, but the garden opens at 09:00 (08:30 in holiday periods). BadAssCream (Jul 2025) recommends red; 小予 (Nov 2025) recommends plain colours and a cloudy or rainy day; 小Yan (Jan 2026) simply loves the red wall and bamboo. These are style opinions, not rules. (4 travelers) source

Sources

• 成都杜甫草堂博物馆
• 成都杜甫草堂博物馆
• 成都杜甫草堂博物馆 (published 2025-04-14)
• 成都杜甫草堂博物馆
• 成都杜甫草堂博物馆
• 成都杜甫草堂博物馆
• 成都杜甫草堂博物馆
• 成都杜甫草堂博物馆
• 成都杜甫草堂博物馆
• 成都杜甫草堂博物馆 (published 2026-09-23)
• 成都杜甫草堂博物馆 (published 2026-09-25)
• 成都市公安局交通管理局（网易号转载） (published 2026-09-30)
• 光明日报 (published 2026-08-07)
• 人民网－四川频道 (published 2026-10-05)
• 凤凰网大风号 (published 2026-09-25)
• 维基百科（中文） (published 2025-12-16)
• 成都本地宝 (published 2023-05-10)
• Go Travelling World (published 2026-04-22)
• Journey Rambler (published 2026-01-10)
• Alison Mullins (published 2025-10-08)
• Maryyngyng1 (published 2025-04-18)
• Jane&Happy (published 2026-08-01)
• YoYo_7A6A4S6S (published 2026-09-23)
• Chengdu Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum
• 卡卡的旅行日记 (published 2026-02-25)
• 小Yan (published 2026-01-03)
• 赛卡 (published 2025-05-13)
• 李同叔讲成都 (published 2025-05-17)
• 🌈小予 (published 2025-11-03)
• 郗南摄影📸 (published 2026-06-30)
• BadAssCream (published 2025-07-02)
• Alice (published 2026-08-07)
• 沙陀王 (published 2026-01-31)
• 有坑必踩狐 (published 2026-08-04)
• 杜若若 (published 2026-07-11)
• abnfjfg (published 2026-09-10)
• 小饼干爱吃饭 (published 2025-05-13)
• 高高兴兴走一走 (published 2026-10-03)
• 成都绿野 (published 2026-09-19)
• Sissi 蒙娜丽猫 (published 2026-01-02)

More places

• Pair with: Kuanzhai Alley, Wuhou Shrine
• More in In the city: Wenshu Monastery, Wuhou Shrine