Fuyou Wangfu

　　Fuyou Wangfu is located at No. 137, Chaoyangmennei Street, Dongcheng District. Originally, it was the new residence of Prince Yi. After the death of the thirteenth son of Emperor Kangxi, Prince Yi Yunxiang, his original residence was converted into Xianliang Temple, and the emperor granted this site to the second-generation heir, Hongxiao. To distinguish it from the old residence, it was commonly referred to as the New Residence of Prince Yi. When it was passed down to the sixth-generation prince, Zaixun, who served as one of the regents along with Prince Zheng Duanhua, he was stripped of his title and executed by Empress Dowager Cixi, and the residence was reclaimed by the imperial court. In the 30th year of the Daoguang reign (1850), the youngest son of Emperor Daoguang, Yixin, was granted the title of Fuyou Wang and moved out of the Forbidden City to live here in the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign (1864), hence it became known as Fuyou Wangfu. As he was the ninth son, it was commonly called the Ninth Prince’s Mansion. After Yixin’s death, Zaisu was adopted as his heir and inherited the title of Beile, so the mansion was also known as Shu Beile Fu. The original entrance gate was on Chaonei North Small Street. The current street-facing gate was established during the Republican era. It is a key cultural relic protected by Beijing Municipality.

　　Fuyou Wangfu

　　Fuyou Wangfu, also known as Urdu Wangfu, was originally the new residence of Prince Yi. This mansion was a hereditary descending commandery prince’s residence, located on the north side of Chaoyangmennei Street in Dongcheng District. After the death of the thirteenth son of Emperor Kangxi, Prince Yi Yunxiang, the original residence was converted into Xianliang Temple, and the emperor granted this site to the second-generation heir, Hongxiao. To distinguish it from the old residence, it was commonly referred to as the New Residence of Prince Yi. When it was passed down to the sixth-generation prince, Zaixun, who served as one of the regents along with Prince Zheng Duanhua, he was stripped of his title and executed by Empress Dowager Cixi, and the residence was reclaimed by the imperial court. In the 30th year of the Daoguang reign, the youngest son of Emperor Daoguang, Yixin (pronounced hui, fourth tone), was granted the title of Fuyou Wang in the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign and moved here from the Forbidden City, hence it became known as Fuyou Wangfu. As he was the ninth son, it was commonly called the Ninth Prince’s Mansion. After Yixin’s death, Zaisu was adopted as his heir and inherited the title of Beile, so the mansion was also known as Shu Beile Fu.

　　Ningjun Wangfu is located north of Beijie on Beijiange San Tiao, north of Dongdan North Street. Its first owner was Hongjiao, the fourth son of Prince Yi Yunxiang during the Yongzheng reign. After Yunxiang’s death in the 7th year of Yongzheng (1729), the emperor personally visited the residence multiple times to mourn him and posthumously honored him with the title “Xian” (Virtuous). The title of Prince Yi was hereditary and irrevocable, and Yongzheng also ordered that another son of Prince Yi be granted the title of commandery prince, descending hereditarily. This son was Hongjiao. He was granted the title of Ningjun Wang in the 8th year of Yongzheng. The exceptional favor shown to Prince Yi by Yongzheng was rare in the Qing Dynasty. However, in the 4th year of Qianlong, Ningjun Wang Hongjiao was implicated in an unsuccessful coup plotted by Prince Li Hongshi. Hongshi, the son of the deposed crown prince of the Kangxi reign, conspired with Prince Zhuang Yunlu and others to usurp the throne from Qianlong. Later, Hongshi was imprisoned for life behind the high walls, and although Ningjun Wang Hongjiao should have been stripped of his title, it was retained leniently due to being a special decree from Yongzheng. In the early years of the Tongzhi reign, the great-grandson of Hongjiao, Zaodun, inherited the title of Prince Yi He Shuo, and Ningjun Wangfu was accordingly renamed Prince Yi He Shuo Wangfu.

　　The residence spans from Chaoyangmennei Street northward to the south side of Dongsi Santiao, with the original gate on Chaonei North Small Street. The current street-facing gate was established during the Republican era. The architectural layout within the courtyard can be divided into three sections: east, middle, and west. The main structures in the central section include: the main hall (Yin’an Hall), with a stone staircase in front and stone railings for protection, seven-room side towers on both left and right sides, a five-room rear hall, a seven-room rear sleeping quarters, and finally a seven-room rear enclosing tower. On either side of the rear enclosing tower are independent courtyards. To the west of the main courtyard are several siheyuan (courtyard houses) that served as the residential area for the royal family. The eastern section originally housed the treasury, kitchen, stables, and living quarters for servants. Before liberation, it was used as the campus of Peking University Women's College of Arts and Sciences. It is now occupied by several state-owned institutions and hundreds of households.

　　The central section contains the main buildings: a five-bay-wide main gate with stone lions on both sides; a seven-bay-wide main hall with a stone staircase in front and white stone railings; seven-bay-wide side towers on both left and right sides; a five-bay-wide rear hall with side rooms on the east and west; a seven-bay-wide rear sleeping quarters with side rooms on both east and west; and finally a seven-bay-wide rear enclosing tower. The main gate, halls, and sleeping quarters are all covered with green glazed tiles, with ridge ornaments featuring mythical beasts. The western section consists of several siheyuan complexes used as residential areas, where most of the original buildings have been preserved but many additions have been built. The eastern section was originally for servants and storage areas such as the treasury and kitchen stables, but its original appearance has been completely lost. On either side of the rear enclosing tower are small independent courtyards shaded by trees, offering a quiet environment that compensates for the lack of a garden, with the east courtyard’s hall and corridor arrangement being particularly well-designed.

　　Fuyou Wangfu has a rigorous and orderly layout, representing a typical example of Qing Dynasty princely residences and one of the more intact surviving wangfu (princely mansions) in Beijing.

　　The "Beijing Cultural Relics Long-Term (2008–2015) Restoration and Protection Plan" has been submitted by the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau to relevant departments for approval. According to the plan, famous residences in Beijing such as Prince Gong’s Mansion, Fuyou Wangfu, and Ningjun Wangfu will complete vacating and restoration by 2015 and gradually open to the public.

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　　Aisin-Gioro Zaixun (1816–1861)　　Aisin-Gioro Zaixun (1816–1861), a Qing imperial clan member and high-ranking official. He was the sixth-generation descendant of Emperor Shengzu Aisin-Gioro Xuanye, the fifth-generation descendant of Prince Yi Xian Aisin-Gioro Yinxian, and inherited the title of Prince Yi He Shuo. He was one of the twelve hereditary Iron-Capped Princes and the foremost of the Eight Regents during the Xianfeng Emperor’s reign. He had served as an Inner Court Chamberlain and was personally entrusted with imperial mandates. After the accession of Emperor Xianfeng, he gradually gained the emperor’s trust and rose through the ranks to become Left Grand Guardian, Director of the Imperial Clan Court, and Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard. In the 11th year of Xianfeng, he, along with Aisin-Gioro Duanhua and Aisin-Gioro Sushun among eight others, was appointed as a Regent Minister to assist in state affairs, holding real power. In the same year, Empress Dowager Cixi and Prince Gong Yixin launched the Xinyou Coup...   More+

　　Aisin-Gioro Mianning (1782–1850)　　Emperor Daoguang, Aisin-Gioro Mianning (September 16, 1782 – February 25, 1850), originally named Mianning, was the eighth emperor of the Qing Dynasty and the only one to inherit the throne as the legitimate eldest son. During his reign, he suppressed the Dzhangar rebellion, reformed the bureaucracy, overhauled the salt tax and canal transport systems, and strictly prohibited opium, yet he could not reverse the decline of the Qing Dynasty. In 1840, the Opium War broke out, and the Treaty of Nanjing was signed with Britain. Thereafter, Emperor Daoguang became even more dispirited and sought only temporary peace. He passed away in 1850 at the age of 69, with the posthumous title Xiaotian Fu Yun Lizhong Ti Zheng Zhi Wen Sheng Wu Zhi Ren Ci Jian Qin...   More+

　　Aisin-Gioro Yixin 　　Aisin-Gioro Yixin (pronounced huì), granted the title of Fujing Prince, was the ninth son of Emperor Daoguang. Lifespan: October 16, 1831 (25th year of Daoguang) to February 8, 1877 (3rd year of Guangxu); lived 33 years. His mother was Empress Dowager Zhuangshun, Lady Wuya, daughter of clerk Lingshou. The ninth son, Fujing Prince Yixin, was born in the 25th year. With the seventh son, Prince Chun Yixin, the eighth son, Prince Zhong Rui Yixin, the ninth daughter, Shouzhuang Princess, and others, they shared the same mother. Fujing Prince Yixin, the ninth son of Emperor Xuanzong. Upon the accession of Emperor Muzong, he was granted the title of Fuyou Wang. Upon the accession of Emperor Muzong, he was exempted from formal court kowtows and was allowed to submit memorials without using his name. In the 3rd year of Tongzhi...   More+

　　Aisin-Gioro Zaisu (1870–?)　　Aisin-Gioro Zaisu (1870–?), great-great-grandson of Emperor Kangxi’s first son Aisin-Gioro Yinti, son of Yizhan, was originally named Zaiji. In 1878 (4th year of Guangxu), he was adopted by the ninth son of Emperor Daoguang, Fuyou Wang Aisin-Gioro Yixin, and renamed Zaisu, receiving the title of Beile. In 1897 (23rd year of Guangxu), he was stripped of his title and placed under permanent house arrest by the Imperial Clan Court. In February 1897 (27th year of Guangxu), an imperial edict pardoned him but forbade his return to Fuyou Wangfu. On December 10, 1908 (34th year of Guangxu), another decree permitted his return to Fuyou Wangfu. Zaisu ended his life as a Chief Guard with the highest rank. His primary wife was from the Yehe Nara clan...   More+

　　Source: Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development