Prince Gong's Mansion is situated on the Qian Hai west street. It is the best preserved princely residence of the Qing Dynasty. In 1982, it was placed on the list of major historic sites under state protection. Its garden was opened to the public in 1988. In 2003, the “Prince Gong's Mansion Administrative Office of the Ministry of Culture” changed its name into the “Prince Gong's Mansion Administrative Center of the Ministry of Culture”. Under the support of the leadership of the government and the Ministry of Culture, the center takes the reservation and renovation of the ancient architectural complex as its primary task, and will spare no efforts to make it a national museum for princely residences in 2008.
Prince Gong's Mansion was built in the 41st year of the reign of the Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1776 A.D.). It originally belonged to He Shen, the Councilor of the Court who was in the favor of Emperor Qianlong. In the fourth year of the Emperor Jiaqing's reign (1799 A.D.), He Shen was criminalized and ordered to commit suicide. The Emperor then gave the residence to his younger brother, Yong Lin and named it Prince Qing Mansion. In the first year of the Emperor Xianfeng's reign (1851 A.D.), the emperor took it back, granted it to his younger brother Yi Su and gave it its present name.
The residence is divided into two parts: a mansion and a garden. It is more than 300 meters long from north to south, more than 180 meters wide from east to west, and covers an area of 61,120 square meters, 32,260 square meters for the mansion and 28,860 square meters for the garden.
From the south to the north, the mansion is divided into four entrances with three lines of courtyards from east to west. The main architectural complex covers an area of over 20,000 square meters. The major buildings are the Main Hall called Yinan, and the Rear Hall named Jiale on the central line, the Duofu Study and the Ledao Hall on the eastern line and the Baoguang Room and the Xijin Study on the western line. In the part of the complex which connects the garden and the mansion there are 108 two-story rear rooms (commonly known as “99 and a half rooms”), which are 160 meters long from east to west. The wood rockeries were once used as the staircases in the building. This design is seldom seen in world architecture.
The garden is named “Langrui Garden” or “Cuijing Garden”, and is generally called “the Garden of Prince Gong's Mansion”. Taking a stroll in the garden is just like wandering in a landscape painting. Just like in the mansion, the garden is also divided into three lines from east to west. The middle line has an western-style arched gate made of white marble as its entrance and the Fu Stele inscribed withEmperor Kangxi's calligraphy of the Chinese character “Fu” (Good Fortune) as its center. In front of the stele there is a Peak named Dule and a Bat Pond. At its back, there is the Lv Tian Xiao Ying and the Bat Hall. The whole layout is very interesting. On the eastern line, there is a tastefully furnished Theatrical House. On its walls are found Chinese wisteria and purple flowers. This gives the audience the feeling they are sitting beneath trellises. To the south of the Theatrical House there is the Mingdao Study, Qu Jing Tong You, Chui Qing Yue, Yin Xiang Zui Yue and Liubei Pavilion. These five sceneries form a mini-garden inside the Cuijing Garden. The garden is decorated by tall ancient trees and forests of queer rocks. There are winding corridors that connect with each other, and pavilions and terraces here and there. The bluish green water flows like a jade belt beside the craggy stones. At night, the moonlight adds a special charm to the scenery of the garden. Thousands of tourists, Chinese and foreigners, are attracted to the Mansion, and search for the stories of the past in its green hills, winding paths, and bluish waters. |
Asia Travel 
Articles: (
Newest publication