What Was Special about Du Fu? Historian Michael Wood Explains

You are watching Prof Michael Wood from the University of Manchester discussing his latest book - "China's Greatest Poet: In the Footsteps of Du Fu". This in-person book launch took place on Tuesday, 7 November 2023 at the Portico Library, and was co-organised by the Manchester China Institute (MCI) and Creative Manchester.
NOTE: We respect the right to academic freedom. Speakers' opinions are entirely their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organisers.
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𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀
Du Fu (712-70) is one of China’s greatest poets. His career coincided with periods of famine, war and huge upheaval, yet his secular philosophical vision, combined with his empathy for the common folk of his nation, ensured that he soon became revered. Like Shakespeare or Dante, his poetry resonates in a timeless manner that ensures it is always relevant and offers something new to the modern generation.
Now, in this beautifully illustrated book, broadcaster and historian Michael Wood follows in his footsteps to try to understand the places that inspired Du Fu to write some of the most famous and best-loved poetry the world has known. The themes he wrote about - friendship, family, human suffering - are universal and in our troubled times are just as relevant as they were almost 1,300 years ago.
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𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Michael Wood is a historian, broadcaster and author. He was appointed Professor of Public History at The University of Manchester in 2013. His special academic interest is in Anglo-Saxon history, and the origins of the English monarchy and state in the tenth century. Michael is the author of several highly praised books on English history and well over one hundred documentary films, among them In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great, The Story of China and The Story of India which the Wall Street Journal described as ‘the gold standard’ of documentary history making’. Michael was awarded the Historical Association’s Medlicott Medal for outstanding services to history, and received the British Academy’s President’s Medal (2015) for outreach in history.
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𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 | 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀
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