The Prince Kung's Palace is the largest royal mansion complex of the Qing Dynasty. It witnessed the historical process of the Qing Dynasty from prosperity to decline and carries a rich cultural and historical significance. It is often referred to as "The Prince Kung's Palace Museum carries the tales of the peak and descendance of the latter half of the Qing Dynasty." From the powerful minister Heshen, Prince Qing Yonglin, Prince Kung Yixin, to the last Prince Kung Puwei, and the calligrapher and painter Pu Xinyu, the mansion has experienced several generations of owners and holds a wealth of historical and cultural knowledge waiting for us to explore.

The old version of the TV drama "My Fair Princess" was once a popular series and a nostalgic memory for a generation. It continues to be "excavated" by netizens even today. The garden in the Prince Kung's Palace, as one of the filming locations of the drama, has recently sparked a trend of people visiting with the only intention of imitating the classical scenes of the drama and taking pictures.

The Garden in Prince Kung's Palace

The scenes of the Imperial Garden in the first season of "My Fair Princess" were filmed at the garden of Prince Kung's Palace. The garden, also known as the Cuijin Garden, is a unique garden located behind the Prince      Kung's Mansion. It was built in 1777 and is believed to have been rebuilt on the site of an old garden from the Ming Dynasty. The entire garden covers an area of 28,000 square meters and features 31 ancient buildings. Prince Kung mobilized a hundred skilled craftsmen to rebuild the garden, adding rocks, trees, and colorful paintings. It combines the artistic styles of Jiangnan gardens and northern architectural patterns, incorporating Western and classical Chinese garden architecture into one garden.

The garden of Prince Kung's Mansion combines both axial symmetry and symmetrical techniques in its landscaping. The garden is divided into three sections: the central path, the eastern path, and the western path, forming multiple courtyards. It features unique and exquisite landscapes, with scattered rockeries, winding corridors, pavilions, and flower-filled ponds. The main buildings include the Fu Hall, theYaoyue Terrace, the Grand Stage, and the Qinqiu Pavilion.

Xiyangmen Gate (Western-style Gate)

The Western-style Gate is located at the southern end of the central path in the garden of Prince Kung's Mansion. It is the main entrance to the garden, known as "Jing han tai gu." It was built by Yixin. The gate is made of carved white marble and is modeled after the Dashuifa(Great Fountains) Haiyuan Garden Gate in the Yuanmingyuan, featuring a Western arch style, which is quite splendid. The gate is inscribed with the words "Jing han tai gu" on the outside and "Xiu yi heng chun" on the inside, symbolizing a fairyland. It combines the concept of "quiet" and "ancient," blending the historical and temporal sense of the garden.

The Western-style Gate is also the only Western-style building in the garden, reflecting the owner's desire to save the Qing Dynasty through learning Western culture and technology. In Episode 10 of the first season of "My Fair Princess," the scene where Ziwei and Jin Suo leave the Bachelor's Residence was filmed at the Western-style Gate.

Miaoxiang Pavilion

In the first season of "My Fair Princess," when Xiaoyanzi enters the palace for the first time, Consort Ling leads her to visit the palace courtyards, which was filmed at the Miaoxiang Pavilion in Prince Kung's Mansion.

The Miaoxiang Pavilion has a unique design, with a double-layered wooden structure in the shape of an upper circle and a lower square with a lotus-shaped flat roof. The upper level is called the Miaoxiang Pavilion, and the lower level is the Banruo An. The two-layered roof interprets the ancient cosmological theory of "Heaven is round, Earth is square" in architectural language. On the left side is the "Qiushui Shanfang," a three-room open pavilion facing the mountain and lake.

Peony Yard

In Episode 11 of the second season of "My Fair Princess," Consort Xiang, attracts butterflies with her natural fragrance. Xiaoyanzi blindly imitates her but ends up attracting a swarm of bees and getting stung all over. The scene of Consort Xiang attracting butterflies was filmed in the Peony Yard of Prince Kung's Mansion. The famous "Rong Momo secretly observing" meme also comes from a window in the Peony Yard.

The Peony Yard is a courtyard located north of the Bamboo Courtyard. Every spring and early summer, the courtyard is filled with blooming peonies in various colors, exuding a delightful fragrance. That's why it is called the "Peony Yard." On the east side of the courtyard, there are five rooms with a connecting corridor that leads to the Bamboo Courtyard.

Miyun Cave

Located inside the Prince Kung's Mansion, one of the "Three Wonders," is the "福" (Fú) Character Stele, engraved by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty with his own calligraphy. This stele measures 7.9 meters in length and runs through the entire artificial mountain. The artificial mountain in this place is where the character Xiaoyanzi in the drama climbed up and down to escape from the guards. In front of the stele, there is a Chinese chessboard made of small stones, square and clearly visible.

Emperor Kangxi had profound calligraphy skills but rarely wrote inscriptions, making this "福" character extremely precious. Moreover, this character displays vigorous and powerful strokes, exuding a strong aura. It can be interpreted as representing abundance in fields, children, talents, and longevity. The composition is cleverly designed and can be regarded as the number one "福" character in the world.

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