A Chinese poet dubbed the "Poet Sage" of the Tang Dynasty has become an Internet superstar thirteen hundred years after his birth.
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Du Fu wrote almost 1, 500 poems. His works have exerted great influence on both Chinese and Japanese literary culture.
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Du Fu wrote almost 1, 500 poems. His works have exerted great influence on both Chinese and Japanese literary culture. But his current popularity is not based on his literary achievements, but on a craze for doodling on his portrait in a school textbook.
Thousands of web users have uploaded images of their take on Du, turning the poet into different characters ranging from "a Pirate of the Caribbean" to basketball star Jeremy Lin. But the campaign, known as "Du Fu is a little bit busy", has divided opinion online.
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Doodles shoot ancient poet Du Fu to web stardom.
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A museum devoted to the poet in Chengdu in Sichuan Province has called on doodlers to show respect. Still, most netizens seem to view it as just fun, pure and simple. Some say it's good to see that after 1300 years, the Poet Sage is still doing his job---inspiring others.
(CNTV March 29, 2012)
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