 It was in the 11th century , during the Northern Song era that Du Fu 's reputation reached its peak . In this period a comprehensive re @-@ evaluation of earlier poets took place , in which Wang <unk> , Li <unk> and Du Fu came to be regarded as representing respectively the Buddhist , <unk> and Confucian strands of Chinese culture . At the same time , the development of Neo @-@ <unk> ensured that Du Fu , as its poetic <unk> , occupied the paramount position . Su Shi famously expressed this reasoning when he wrote that Du Fu was " <unk> ... because ... through all his <unk> , he never for the space of a meal <unk> his sovereign " . His influence was helped by his ability to reconcile apparent opposites : political <unk> were attracted by his loyalty to the established order , while political radicals embraced his concern for the poor . Literary <unk> could look to his technical mastery , while literary radicals were inspired by his innovations . Since the establishment of the People 's Republic of China , Du Fu 's loyalty to the state and concern for the poor have been interpreted as embryonic nationalism and socialism , and he has been praised for his use of simple , " people 's language " . 
