Du Fu Writes Through an Empire’s Upheaval

In 755, the Tang dynasty descended into devastation when the general An Lushan launched an open rebellion against imperial rule. For Du Fu, a scholar-official from a minor background who had struggled for decades to secure a stable administrative career, the outbreak instantly overturned his prospects. Just as he received a minor appointment to the Crown Prince's Palace, the machinery of state fractured. Over the next eight years, the conflict ravaged the empire, collapsing recorded census counts from tens of millions to a fraction of that total through death and mass displacement. Instead of attaining high office, Du Fu found himself swept directly into the upheaval.

Du Fu's early path had prepared him for traditional bureaucratic service through the memorisation of Confucian history and literature, yet his examinations had ended in failure. After an initial rejection around 735, which modern scholars have attributed to an overly dense prose style or an absence of elite connections, a second attempt in 747 was thwarted when the prime minister failed every candidate. Du Fu lived an unsettled life, meeting prominent figures like the older poet Li Bai and petitioning the throne directly, while experiencing poverty and deteriorating health. The outbreak of war exacerbated these hardships, forcing his family to flee and subjecting them to recurring periods of separation and hunger.