Du Fu

Du Fu (born 712, Gongxian, Henan province, China—died 770, on a riverboat between Danzhou [now Changsha] and Yueyang, Hunan province) was a Chinese poet, considered by many literary critics to be the greatest of all time. Born into a scholarly family, Du Fu received a traditional Confucian education but failed in the imperial examinations of 735. As a result, he spent much of his youth traveling. During his travels he won renown as a poet...