Prince Gong’s Mansion Garden

Prince Gong’s Mansion Garden

Prince Gong’s Mansion Garden is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Destination Introduction

Prince Gong’s Mansion, located on the northern shore of Shichahai in Beijing, is the world’s largest siheyuan and the best-preserved among the city’s over 60 Qing dynasty princely mansions. It is divided into three parallel sections: east, central, and west. The three buildings in the central section form the main structure of the mansion: the grand hall, the rear hall, and the extended wing. The extended wing stretches 160 meters from east to west and houses over 40 rooms. The east and west sections each consist of three courtyards, echoing the central section. The final part of the mansion is the garden, which features more than 20 uniquely designed scenic areas.

Prince Gong’s Mansion was the residence of Yixin, the sixth son of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing dynasty. It was originally the home of Heshen, a powerful official during the Qianlong era. In 1799, the first year of the Jiaqing reign, Heshen was found guilty of corruption, and his residence was confiscated by the imperial court. Emperor Jiaqing granted part of it to his younger brother, Prince Qing Yi Xin, making it the Prince Qing Mansion. Later, Emperor Xianfeng reclaimed the Prince Qing Mansion and bestowed it upon his younger brother, Prince Gong Yixin, thus establishing Prince Gong’s Mansion. During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi eras, the mansion was renovated, and a garden was added at the back.

Some say that Prince Gong’s Mansion Garden served as the blueprint for the Grand View Garden depicted in "Dream of the Red Chamber," due to certain similarities in scenery. However, many others have disputed this claim.

The owner of the mansion, Yixin, was a first-rank noble, so his residence was not only spacious but also built to the highest architectural standards, reflecting an unrivaled hierarchical status. Clear indicators of this status include the number of gateways and rooms. A prince’s mansion must have a five-bay-wide entrance, a seven-bay main hall, a five-bay rear hall, a seven-bay bedroom, and side halls. Princely residences of lower rank must not exceed these numbers. The style of the buildings and the color of the roof tiles also followed strict hierarchical rules.

The previous owner of Prince Gong’s Mansion was the powerful official Heshen. He built the Qingyi Hall, which imitated the Ningshou Palace of the emperor. This act was listed as one of the charges when the emperor “graciously granted him the favor of taking his own life.”

The architecture of Prince Gong’s Mansion can be divided into two parts: the mansion proper and the garden. The mansion covers an area of 46.5 mu (about 3.1 hectares) and is divided into three parallel sections—east, central, and west—each consisting of multiple courtyards. Behind it lies a two-story rear building with a continuous ridge, stretching over 160 meters. The garden, located behind the building, spans 38.6 mu (about 2.57 hectares). The structures in the garden are also roughly arranged along three east-west sections, with scattered rockeries, winding corridors, pavilions, ponds, and flower arrangements.

The front part of the central section features a three-bay-wide main gate and a five-bay-wide second gate. Originally, there was a main hall called the Yin’an Hall, which no longer exists. The current rear hall is the Jiale Tang (Hall of Joy). The east section consists of three courtyards and served as the living quarters for Prince Gong Yixin. The west section’s main building is the Xijin Zhai, a grand courtyard surrounded by corridors, exuding extraordinary magnificence. Behind the three sections of courtyards lies a two-story rear building with over 40 rooms, stretching 160 meters from east to west. The eastern part is called the Zhanwu Lou (Viewing Mist Tower), and the western part is called the Baoyue Lou (Embracing Moon Tower). Behind the building is the garden—Pingjin Garden, commonly known as Prince Gong’s Mansion Garden—which covers an area of 28,000 square meters. The garden’s structures are also roughly arranged along three sections—east, central, and west—with subtle axes. Scattered throughout are rockeries, winding corridors, pavilions, ponds, and flower arrangements. Key structures include the Xiedian Hall, Yaoyue Platform, Grand Theater Stage, and Qinqiu Pavilion.

Address: No. 17 Qianhai West Street, Phone: 66168149

Location: Situated on Qianhai West Street, Xicheng District

Area: Total area exceeds 100 mu (about 6.67 hectares) Transportation Information

Transportation: Take bus routes 13, 107, 111, or 118 and get off at the Back Gate of Beihai. Price Information   Ticket: 60 RMB (includes admission, professional guide, access to open attractions and exhibition halls, visit to the mansion’s theater, and enjoyment of traditional Beijing performances, as well as tasting of mansion-style covered bowl tea and snacks). If you are only visiting Prince Gong’s Mansion, the ticket is 20 RMB.

Beijing Xicheng District