Prince Ding’s Mansion

Prince Ding’s Mansion

Prince Ding’s Mansion in Beijing is located east of Gangwashi on South Fuchengmennei Street and south of Banshipuhuayuan. The entire estate covers over 40 acres. Its western wall was in the area of today’s Sha Guo Ju, extending east to where the Jiusan Society now stands, with more than 400 rooms. The mansion housed administrative offices such as the Steward’s Office, Purchasing Office, Estate Office, Attendant Office, and Reception Office, responsible for managing finances, collecting land rents, and attending to attendants and other affairs. The office space currently used by the Jiusan Society is the only remaining part of the original mansion.

This estate was originally the residence of Prince Xun.

The first prince enfeoffed was Yonghuang, the eldest son of Emperor Gaozong. He passed away in the 15th year of the Qianlong reign (1750) and was posthumously granted the title of Prince Ding. His son, Miande, inherited the title. During the Qianlong era, the former Prince Xun’s Mansion was rebuilt as Prince Ding’s Mansion. The estate roughly spanned from Yangpishi Hutong in the south to Banshipu Hutong in the north, from the area of today’s Sha Guo Ju restaurant in the west to the Jiusan Society in the east. It covered approximately 27,000 square meters with over 400 rooms. The central axis structures included a three-bay palace gate, a five-bay Yinan Hall, a three-bay small hall, a five-bay shrine hall, and a rear building with five bays on both upper and lower floors. The eastern section was originally a garden but was later converted into a three-courtyard complex with a row of northern rooms. The ancient buildings currently within the Jiusan Society compound are believed to be remnants of the original mansion.

It is said that before the year 1900 (the 26th year of the Guangxu reign), Prince Ding Puyun installed a safe but forgot the password and could not open it, rendering the safe useless. When the Boxer Rebellion broke out, fearing that this foreign item would be seen as evidence of being a “secondary foreigner,” he had it buried in the garden. After the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing, the members of the mansion fled to their ancestral tombs in Changping for refuge. French occupation troops, upon hearing rumors that treasures were buried in the garden, sent people to dig it up and discovered the safe. Unable to open it, they resorted to using explosives. Upon finally opening it, they found nothing inside, leaving them extremely disappointed.

In 1928, Prince Ding’s Mansion was sold for 150,000 through Ding Jiqian, a comprador of the Huabei Bank, who purchased it on behalf of the bank. Subsequently, the Huabei Bank demolished the western courtyard and central section of the mansion. Due to rumors that the mansion was haunted, they specifically hired another ethnic minority person to carry out the demolition. During the process, many snakes were discovered. These snakes were taken to the ancestral shrine of the mansion and quickly slithered away. At the time, the press also heavily sensationalized and reported on the incident.

Aisin-Gioro Yonghuang (July 5, 1728 – April 21, 1750), the eldest son of Emperor Qianlong, was born to Noble Consort Zhuangshun of the Fuca clan on the 28th day of the fifth month in the sixth year of the Yongzheng reign. In the 13th year of Qianlong’s reign, he was reprimanded by the emperor for not understanding court etiquette, which led to his loss of favor. In March of the 15th year of Qianlong’s reign, he passed away. He was posthumously granted the title of Prince Ding with the posthumous name “An.”

Personal Biography

In the 13th year of Qianlong’s reign (1748), the emperor went on a southern tour. On his return and stopover in Dezhou, Empress Xiaoxianchun passed away. Yonghuang, as the Eldest Prince, was tasked with receiving the funeral procession. However, during this period, he and his third brother Yongzhang did not display sufficient grief...  More details about Aisin-Gioro Yonghuang++