Du Yu

Du Yu was the legendary king of the ancient Shu kingdom, styled Wangdi (‘The Gazing Emperor’), and is recorded in both the Chronicles of Huayang and the Annals of the Kings of Shu. Legend holds that he descended from heaven to instruct the people of Shu in farming, establishing the correct agricultural calendar and promoting cultivation—thus filling granaries and enriching the land. Later, following devastating floods, he abdicated in favour of Bie Ling—the ‘Congdi’ (‘Emperor Cong’)—who had successfully tamed the waters, and retired to the Western Mountains. It is said that Du Yu’s spirit transformed into the cuckoo bird, which cries mournfully each late spring; the phrase ‘cuckoo’s blood-cry’ originates from this tale. The people of Shu, hearing the cuckoo’s call, remember Wangdi, and farmers take its song as the signal to begin spring ploughing. In Chengdu’s Pi County stands the Wangcong Temple, where Wangdi and Congdi are jointly enshrined—the oldest imperial temple in the Shu region. For over a millennium, the city has celebrated Qingming Festival with the ‘Cuckoo City’ singing contests, a tradition unbroken to this day.