Abstract: The "Dou Brothers" were known in the Mid-Tang dynasty for their poems which are preserved to this day in Dou Shi Lian Zhu Ji. The five brothers of the Dou's family got positions at various government levels and were good at poetry. Dou Gong was the youngest but the most famous one. He had close friendship with Yuan Zhen, Bai Juyi and Liu Yuxi. His Jueju enjoyed high reputation. Dou Gong's life was one typical of literati of his time as he first succeeded in the imperial examination, then worked in the shogunate, worked as a government official and then went to shogunate again. The time for the creation of 21 of the 39 pieces of poems by Dou Gong available now can be verified;the rest 18 cannot,according to his life. The annalistic investigation of his poem composition can help understand and analyze the different characteristics in content and form of his poems in different periods, and therefore offer favorable proof for studying his life and friends. However, due to inadequate records about him in history, the time of composition of many of his poems cannot be exactly verified.

Key words: “Dou Brothers”, Dou Gong, Dou Gong's life experience, Dou Gong's poems, annalistic verification