It was once the residence of Heshen and Yonglin. In 1851, Prince Gong Yixin became the owner of the house, hence the name Prince Gong's Mansion.
In the forty-first year of Qianlong's reign, that is, in 1776, Heshen began to build his luxurious residence, which was called "Hedi" at this location with Qianhai in the east and Houhai in the back. It is said that during the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, Li Guang, the great eunuch, also placed his name here. On the third day of the first lunar month of the fourth year of Jiaqing, Emperor Hongli passed away. The next day, Jiaqing deprived Heshen of his positions as Minister of Military Affairs and Admiral of the Nine Gates, and ransacked his home. It is estimated that the total wealth was worth about 800 million taels of silver, which was equivalent to the Qing government's 15 years. Financial revenue, so there is a saying that "Heshen falls, Jiaqing is full". On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month of the same year, that is, February 22, 1799, He Shen was "ordered to commit suicide." As for the house itself, it was owned by his younger brother, Prince Qingxi Yonglin, who "loved the mansion but not the country".
At the same time, Qianlong's daughter Princess Hexiao, who was married to Heshen's son, still lived in half of the mansion. In the first year of Xianfeng, that is, 1851, Prince Gong Yi?, an important political figure in the late Qing Dynasty, became the third generation owner of the house and renamed it Prince Gong's Mansion. The name of Prince Gong's Mansion has been used ever since. "A Prince Gong's Mansion is half the history of the Qing Dynasty" is the evaluation of Prince Gong's Mansion by the historical geographer Hou Renzhi. In the early years of the Republic of China, the palace was sold to the church by Puwei, the grandson of Prince Gong, for 400,000 yuan. It was later redeemed by Fu Jen Catholic University with 108 gold bars and used as a girls' school. After the founding of New China, Wangfu has been used by many units such as the Ministry of Public Security dormitory, wind turbine factory, and music conservatory.
After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the property rights of the mansion once belonged to Fu Jen Catholic University. In 1988, the garden of Prince Kung's Mansion was opened to the public. In 2008, after the Prince Kung's Mansion completed the renovation project of the mansion, it was fully opened to the public.
Prince Gong’s Mansion is divided into three roads, east and west, each consisting of multiple courtyards, followed by a 160-meter-long two-story back building. Prince Gong's Mansion has gone through the historical process of the Qing Dynasty from its peak to its decline, and carries extremely rich historical and cultural information. Therefore, there is a saying that "a Prince Gong's Mansion is half the history of the Qing Dynasty".
Prince Gong’s Mansion is located on Qianhai West Street, Xicheng District, Beijing. It is the largest palace in the Qing Dynasty. It served as the residence of the corrupt official He Shen and Prince Qing Yonglin, and was later given to Prince Gong Yixin. , hence the name Prince Gong’s Mansion, which is still in use today. Prince Gong's Mansion has gone through the historical process of the Qing Dynasty from its peak to its decline, so there is a saying that "a Prince Gong's Mansion is half the history of the Qing Dynasty".
“The Crescent River surrounds the house like a dragon and the pan, and the Western Mountain looks like a tiger crouching in the distance.” This is the description of Prince Gong’s Mansion in history books. In terms of its location, it occupies an excellent location in the capital. The ancients paid great attention to Feng Shui when building houses and gardens. It is said that there are two dragon veins in Beijing. One is the earth dragon, which is the dragon vein of the Forbidden City; the other is the water dragon, which refers to the line between Houhai and Beihai. Prince Gong's Mansion is right on the connecting line between Houhai and Beihai. , that is, on the dragon vein, so the feng shui is very good. The ancients used water as a source of wealth, and "water can be seen everywhere" in Prince Gong's Mansion. The water in the largest lake center pavilion was imported from Yuquan Lake, and it only flows in and does not flow out, so it is more in line with the Feng Shui theory of making money. The top ten marshals of our country and Guo Moruo and others all live near Prince Gong's Mansion, and they all live very long lives. It is said that the place with the most long-lived elderly people in Beijing is near Prince Gong’s Mansion. This place is really a geomantic treasure.