China Travel Guide

Prince Gong's Mansion (Gong Wang Fu Museum,Chinese: 恭王府) is Beijing's largest and the best preserved Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) princely mansion that illustrates the culture and life style of the Imperial China's elite. The mansion is located at QianHai XiJie to the west of QianHai lake. This fine example of ancient Chinese architecture with its cultural connotations is important not only for its aesthetic value but as an asset to those who wish to study the lifestyle of the privileged classes in the feudal society of a bygone era; it also has an interesting history.

The dwelling is a traditional courtyard mansion of a style that was popular in imperial Beijing among the wealthy. The complex covers a total area of 60,000 square meters (15 acres). About half of the area was the residential portion, while the remainder was devoted to ornamental gardens. The living quarters are arranged in three sets of courtyards occupying central, eastern and western axes. The main, central axis comprises a main hall, a rear hall, and an extended pavilion that has 40 rooms.

This fine example of ancient Chinese architecture dates from around the year 1777 and was originally the private residence of HeShen, a member of the imperial guard turned minister, who came to the attention of the Qing emperor QianLong (1736-1796). Before long, the talented HeShen was promoted to positions normally occupied by more experienced officials, including positions controlling finance, enabling him to acquire great wealth. The aging QianLong did nothing to curb HeShen's apparent corruption but his successor, emperor JiaQing (1796-1820), had HeShen executed and his wealth, of over 800 million ounces of silver, was confiscated. His mansion was passed to Prince Qing JunWang, the 17th and youngest son of emperor QianLong, in 1799.

Later, emperor XianFeng (1851-1862) transferred ownership of the mansion to his brother Prince Gong and it is his name that is now most closely associated with the mansion. However, it had several changes of ownership after that and during the Cultural Revolution was used as an air conditioning factory. In 1982 it was declared a site of Chinese National Cultural Heritage and opened to the public in 1996.

The living quarters stand within three sets of courtyards occupying a central, eastern and western situation. The main, central section comprises the major hall, a rear hall and an extended pavilion that has some 40 rooms. The construction and materials used are similar to those of the Ningshougong (Palace of Tranquil Longevity) in the Forbidden City. Each of the western and eastern sections contains three smaller courtyards. These grand and exquisite buildings are a poignant reminder of the pageantry and splendor that was so much part of China's imperial past.

The garden, surrounded by artificial mountains, is known as JinCui Yuan, and is of highly regarded on account of its intricate layout and distinct design. It covers an area of 28,000 square meters (7 acres) and includes twenty unique scenic spots. There are mountainous hills, ponds, caves, corridors and pavilions throughout the garden. There is also a 'Grand Theater House' that today presents several performances of chinese opera each day.

According to recent research, it may have been at this Mansion that Cao XueQin, author of the famous 'A Dream of Red Mansions', lived the life he later was to write about in his novel.

Prince Gong's Mansion can be very busy with tour groups, so try to avoid visiting at weekends and during national holidays. There a few other similar surviving sites in Beijing, one or two close to Prince Gong's Mansion, though this is the grandest and most popular.