Du Fu Thatched Cottage is one of the highlights of Chengdu. Du Fu was born in present-day Gongxian County, Henan Province in 712. He lived in an age when the Tang Dynasty began to decline from its zenth. So, his poems are honored as "poems of history" for they truly mirror the reality and the conflicts between different classes in his time. They too profoundly reflect the poet's feelings, worries, sorrows and patriotism. In terms of artistry and ideology, the have exerted far-reaching influence upon the subsequent Chinese poetry and other genres. For this reason, he is called the "poet sage".

He left his home province at the tender age of 20 to Chang'an. After being cuptured by rebels following the An-Shi Rebellion, he eventually fled to Chengdu in the winter of 759. He took refuge in Chengdu and built his temporary abode. After the cottage had been built, Du Fu described its location in his famous lines: "A residence to the west of Wanli Bridge/A hamlet to the north of Baihua Tan." and "My cottage is built back to the city wall/Thatched with cogongrass, standing by the river." He sojourned in Chengdu for four years, during which he penned more than 240 famous poems. Most of his poems were written during this period. Not until the Northern Song Dynasty did people build a temple in memory of him in Chengdu. Du Fu Thatched Cottage was rebuilt in 1811. The present buildings are extensions upon the foundations of the past.

Du Fu's extant poems number more than 1 400. They have been translated into 15 languages and published in many countries. In 1962, the World Peace Council held a conference in Stockholm and conferred the title of "the World Cultural Giant" upon Du Fu.