Simply put, it is because Du Fu's realistic poems reflect the history and broad social life of the era in which he lived. They are like a history, reflecting the social turmoil brought about by social life in the Tang Dynasty, especially the Anshi rebellion, which is recorded in his poems in great detail. His poetry is a true record of social life in this period, with high historical value, which can be regarded as history, can prove history and can supplement history, so it is called "the history of poetry".
Du Fu lived under the rule of three emperors, namely Xuanzong, Tang Suzong and Tang Daizong, and it was also a turbulent period from prosperity to decline in the Tang Dynasty. Du Fu's great realistic poetry is a true record of social life in this period, which has high historical value, so people call Du Fu's poetry "poetic history" and Du Fu "poetic saint". The title "history of poetry" appeared earlier. As early as the late Tang Dynasty, the poem "Gaoyi" once wrote; "Du Fu encountered difficulties in Lushan Mountain. He moved from Gansu to Sichuan. When he finished writing poetry, he pushed it to the hidden place, and almost nothing happened, so it was called the history of poetry at that time. " Du fu was still alive at this time, so people called his works. Later, Song Qi also wrote in The Biography of Du Fu in the New Tang Dynasty: "Fu is good at telling current events, and his method is profound, so he is called' the history of poetry'. . "As for the title of" poet sage ",Song Qi's article already contains this meaning. Wang Sishuang, the author of Du Yi in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in Dream of Shaoling: "Violet is a poet, and I am also a poet." It shows that all previous dynasties respected Du Fu's achievements in poetry creation.
"History of Poetry" refers to the realistic spirit and creative method of "being good at telling current events" embodied in Du Fu's poems. "Good at telling current events" includes two meanings: one is to write about or be related to major events at that time. Specifically, Du Fu's poems refer to what he saw, heard and felt when he was in trouble in Lushan Mountain, which is different from the general reflection of reality. Otherwise, the "history of poetry" is too broad. Because the Anshi Rebellion was the key to the decline of the Tang Dynasty, Du Fu described various social scenes at this historical turning point, which made his poems have the significance of profoundly reflecting the law of social development. Second, "the history of poetry" refers not only to the major social events involved in the works, but also to the profound ideological understanding embodied in the works. It has played a positive role in ideological education to the society, which is also very prominent in Du Fu's poems written before and after the An Shi Rebellion. Social unrest is recorded in great detail in his poems. His poems can be regarded as history, which can be proved and supplemented, so it is called "the history of poetry".
Du Fu's poems are rich in social content, strong in times and distinctive in political inclination, which truly and profoundly reflect the political current affairs and broad social life prospect of a historical era before and after the An Shi Rebellion, and are called the "poetic history" of a generation. Du Fu's poems have various styles. Besides Five Ancient Poems, Seven Ancient Poems and Five Laws and Seven Laws, he also wrote a lot of rhymes and styles and used various artistic techniques. He is a master of the thought and art of Tang poetry. Du Fu inherited the spirit of Yuefu in Han and Wei Dynasties, and got rid of the shackles of Yuefu's ancient themes, creating many new Yuefu themes, such as "Three Officials" and "Three Farewells". After his death, he was highly praised by Huang Fan, Han Yu, Yuan Zhen and Bai Juyi. Du Fu's poems had a far-reaching influence on Bai Yuan's literary thought of "New Yuefu Movement" and Li Shangyin's near-body allegorical current affairs poems. However, Du Fu's poems were widely valued after the Song Dynasty. Wang Yucheng, Wang Anshi, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian and others hold Du Fu in high esteem, while Wen Tianxiang regards Du Fu's poems as the spiritual strength to stick to national integrity. The influence of Du Fu's poems has long gone beyond the scope of literature and art since ancient times. ..
Du Fu's realistic spirit with "the history of poetry" as the core is the embodiment of China's historiographer culture and the inheritance and development of the realistic tradition of The Book of Songs.