The Prince Gong’s Mansion was the largest prince mansion in the Qing dynasty, subsequently resided by He Shen,the favored senior official of Emperor Qianlong, Yong Lin, one of the sons of Emperor Qianlong, and Yi Xin, one of the princes in the late Qing dynasty. The name of the mansion originated from the title of Yi Xin, who bore the title Prince Gong. After the foundation of the the People’s Republic of China, this mansion was repaired and is now open to the public.

Location

The Prince Gong’s Mansion is located in Shichahai Scenic Area, occupying an area of 60,000 square meters or so, and one of the prominent tall buildings have divided this mansion into two parts: mansion and garden. The mansion is luxurious and the garden is gracefully beautiful.

History

The mansion was initially built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and the first owner of it was He Shen, who was a senior official favored by Emperor Qianlong but was so corrupt that he was later demanded to hang himself in his own mansion after the death of Emperor Qianlong. This mansion was then passed on to the younger brother of Emperor Jiajing, the son of Emperor Qianlong. Later, prince Gong resided in the mansion for years before the collapse of the Qing dynasty.

Three Main scenic spots of the mansion

Garden of the Prince Gong’s Mansion

Walking inside the garden is like walking in area surrounded by mountains and streams. This garden resembles the design of the mansion and also has the eastern, middle and western parts.

The middle part begins with a white marble archway as the entrance. A stone stele bearing a Chinese character “福 (auspicious)” written by Emperor Kangxi can be seen in the center of the yard. In front of the stele are the Duyufeng (独乐峰) and Bat Pond (蝠池); and at the rear are Lvtianxiaoyin (绿天小隐) and the Bat Hall (蝠厅). In the eastern part of it is the Great Opera Tower, which has been luxuriously decorated appears illuminating in the sun. To the south of the opera tower there are many other scenic spots, where you can enjoy traditional Chinese horticulture.

Silver Hall

The Silver Hall is the nickname of Yinan Hall, being the most important building of the mansion. As the main hall of the prince’s mansion, it only opens when meeting events or festivals, working as a place to implement rituals. In the early Republic of China, this hall along with the two halls on either of its sides was on fire, and the three buildings we see today are buildings rebuilt later.

Jiale Studio

Jiale Studio is the house dating back to the period when He Shen was still alive. There is a horizontal inscribed board hanging in the studio, which was suspiciously granted to He Shen by Emperor Qianlong, but we cannot find the autograph of Emperor Qianlong on the board. However, the poem collection Jiale Studio Poems composed by He Shen has been passed to now and this can prove that this studio played an important role when the man was still alive. When time came to Yi Xin, who converted this hall into a sacrificial site, where his ancestors and different gods worshiped by the Macho people were placed.

Now, if you want to tour the mansion, you can consult the following map we made for you: