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Prince Gong's Residence
 Prince Gong's Residence is situated in the Western
Street of Qian Hai, Western District, Beijing. It is a comparatively
well preserved one of former Princes' residences in Beijing City. The
masters of this Prince's Residence had changed a lot. In the beginning
it belonged to He Kun, Councillor of the Court who was criminated in
the fourth year of Emperor Jia Qing's reign (1799) resulting in the
confiscation of the residence. The Emperor then bestowed it to his
younger brother, Yong Lin and named it Residence of Prince Qing.
When Emperor Xian Feng came to reign, he took it back,
granted to his younger brother Yi Su and named it Prince Gong's
Residence. Prince Gong's Residence occupies an area of 30 thousand
square meters. The building is divided into two parts, the living
quarter and garden. In the living quarter structure, there are five
courtyards from south to north in file. From east to west are three
set courtyards, east middle and west in a row, among which Xijinzhai
(former name Qing Yi Hall) in the western set is most famous. It was
built by imitating the Ning Shou Gong (Palace of Peace and Longevity)
in the Forbidden City, adopting the hook connection structure. A
partitioned-off section of a large room with a heating stove was built
inside the hall, which is deep and broad, bright and spacious with
superb design. Part of the garden inside the Prince Gong's Residence
is in the northern side of the living quarter where turning corridor,
pavilion, mountain rock, flowers and trees are all in elegant layout.
In the stone cave of the rockery above the lake, there is the Emperor
Kang Xi's inscription of Chinese character "Fu" (Good Fortune).
The design of the living quarter and garden of the
Prince Gong's Residence is imposing and magnificent. Rooms and broad
yards are laid out in turnings and in maze, the scenery of which is
exquisite and delicate. In the old days there was murmuring stream
flowing through th e Garden which has many similarities with the grand
garden described in the famous novel "The Dream of Red Chamber", hence
it has been acknowledged as the Rong Guo Residence and Grand Garden of
"The Dream of the Red Chamber".
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