Prince Gong's Mansion

The mansion was built in 1777 for Heshen, an official who accumulated a fortune said to have rivalled the imperial treasury before he was forced to take his own life in 1799 and his property confiscated. It passed eventually to Prince Gong, brother of the Xianfeng Emperor, and survives as the most complete princely residence in Beijing: some thirty thousand square metres of halls, courtyards and a garden with rockeries, a theatre hall, covered walkways and a stone tablet carved with the character for happiness by the Kangxi Emperor, which visitors queue to touch. The layout of buildings and garden is often cited as an inspiration for the setting of the novel Dream of the Red Chamber.

What you actually see

• The residential halls - the front courtyards of the princely mansion.
• The garden - rockeries, ponds, walkways and the Grand Theatre hall.
• The Kangxi happiness stele - the carved character in a rockery grotto.
• The scale - thirty thousand square metres of preserved estate.

When to go

April to May and September to October; the garden is at its best in spring and autumn. Tickets are capped daily and must be booked online in advance, as with most Beijing sites. Mornings are quieter.

Honest expectations

Advance online booking with passport details is required and same-day tickets are often unavailable. The site is crowded, particularly around the happiness stele. Much of the interior is reconstructed rather than original.

Nearby

Shichahai lakes are alongside; the Drum and Bell Towers lie east.