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History of Prince Gong's Mansion

Index | History | Architecture | Garden

The mansion was built in 1777. Formerly, it is the private residence of He Shen, a favorite minister of Qianlong during the Qing (1736-1796). Heshen (1750-1799), the infamous Manchu official. Thought to have been the Qianlong emperor's lover, he ruled China for his own gain when Qianlong abdicated in 1796, but his demise was swift. While he was mourning Qianlong in the Forbidden City, officials were dispatched to this mansion. Though the extent of his graft was widely known, officials were shocked by the piles of gold and silver ingots they uncovered. His remaining friends at court managed to persuade the Qianlong emperor's son to spare him from "death by a thousand cuts," but he was soon hanged.

Later, this mansion was bestowed upon Prince Gong by Emperor Xianfeng (1851 - 1862) hence the name "Prince Gong's Mansion" or "Prince Gong's Palace". Prince Gong is the sixth son of the Guangxu emperor. At the age of 27, he was left to sign the Convention of Peking in 1860, after the Qing royal family took an early summer holiday when British and French forces advanced on the capital.