Ep. 222 | The History of Tang Poetry (Part 5)

This is the Du Fu episode. Along with Li Bai, discussed last episode, he’s considered the greatest poet in Chinese history. That’s of course a matter of opinion. We’ll take a brief look at the rough road Du Fu had to walk most of his years.

In addition to looking at his life we’ll hear a few of his regulated verse poems.

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Terms in Episode

Pinyin/Term	Chinese	English/Meaning
Cháng’ān	长安	Ancient capital of more than a few dynasties/ Present day Xian
Chéngdū	成都	Capital of Sichuan province
Chóngqìng	重庆	Formerly part of Sichuan, now an independent municipality
Chūn Wàng	春望	The Du Fu poem "Spring View"
Daìzōng	唐代宗	Tang emperor from 762-779
Dòngtíng Lake	洞庭湖	Lake in central China in between Hubei and Hunan
Dù Fǔ	杜甫	One of the greatest poets in Chinese history, lived 712-770.
Dù Fǔ Cǎo Táng	杜甫草堂	Du Fu's Grass Hut, located in Chengdu
Dēng Yuèyáng Lóu	登岳阳楼	The Du Fu poem “Ascending Yuèyáng Tower”
Fèngxiáng	凤翔	City west of Xi'an
Fújiàn	福建	Coastal province to the south of China
Fūzhōu	鄜州	City in northern Shaanxi
Gānsù	甘肃	Province in western China
Gǒngyì	巩义	Birthplace of Du Fu, located midway between Luòyáng and Zhèngzhōu
Hán Yù	韩愈	One of ancient China's greatest masters of prose literature. Also a great statesman and Neo-Confucian pioneer. Lived 768-824
Héběi	河北	Northern province in China
Húběi	湖北	Province just to the north of Hunan
Húnán	湖南	Province in central China
Jiāngsū	江苏	Coastal province in central China
Jìnshì Exam	进士	The most important exam of the imperial examination system
Kuízhōu	夔州	Ancient city that is now part of the municipality opf Chongqing
Kāiyuán Era	开元盛世	The second era of Xuanzong's reign, 713-741. Also referred to in poetry as the period of the High Tang
Luòyáng	洛阳	One of China's ancient capitals, located in Henan province
Lǐ Bái	李白	One of the greatest poets and certainly the most famous one in China. Lived 701-762
Lǐ Línfǔ	李林甫	Chancellor to Xuanzong. Famous for protecting his turf
Píngjiāng County	平江县	County in Hunan located about ninety minutes from downtown Chángshā.
Qiánlóng	乾隆	Qing Dynasty emperor who reigned during the 18th century
Qīng	清朝	Last imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 1644-1911
Qū Yuán	屈原	Chu poet and official who lived from around 340 to 278 BCE
Ruìzōng	唐睿宗	Tang emperor from 684-690
Shāndōng	山东	Coastal province in the north of China
Shīshèng	诗圣	The Poet Sage
Shīshǐ	诗史	The Poet Historian
Shǎnxī	陕西	Province in northern China that always get mixed up with Shānxī
Sìchuān	四川	Province in southwest China
Sùzōng	肃宗	Son of Emperor Xuanzong. He was the emperor on duty for most of the An Lushan Rebellion. Reigned 756-762
Tiānmò Huái Lǐ Bái	天末怀李白	The Du Fu poem “Thinking of Lǐ Bái at the End of the Sky”
Táng Shī Sānbǎi Shǒu	唐诗三百首	“Three Hundred Tang Poems"
Wáng Wéi	王维	Another one of the greatest Tang poets. Lived from 699-759, a contemporary of Li Bai and Du Fu
Wáng Ānshí	王安石	Ushered in the New Policies as chancellor during the Song Dynasty. Lived 1021-1086. He also was a big Du Fu fan
Xuánzōng	唐玄宗	Also known as Emperor Ming of Tang, reigned 690-705, a total of 43 years
Yuè Yè	月夜	The Du Fu poem “Tonight the Moon Shines Over Fūzhōu”
Yuèyáng	岳阳	A major city in Hunan located west of Dòngtíng Lake.
Yáng Guìfēi	杨贵妃	Lived 719-756. Very influential imperial consort to Emperor Xuanzong. The An Lushan Rebellion is partially blamed on her
Yáng Guózhōng	杨国忠	Cousin of Yang Guifei who helped lead Xuanzong down the path of disaster
Yán’ān	延安	City in northern Shaanxi. World famous since the 1930's
Zhèjiāng	浙江	The province next door to Jiangsu to the south
Ān Lùshān Rebellion	安禄山之乱	A seven year rebellion in China that lasted from 755-763

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