Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PrinceGongM1.jpg Author: Willem van der Horst
The Mansion of Prince Gong, also called Prince Gong's Manor, is the best preserved historic mansion in Beijing. It is located at 17 Qianhai Xi Jie, Xicheng, in the hutong district just west of Qian Hai. The mansion is open daily from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
The Mansion of Prince Gong is said to have been the inspiration for the famous 18th century novel Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin.
The Mansion is well spread out, with a series of corridors, pavilions and gardens, with ponds and gateways at intervals. It was originally built for Heshun, the emperor's favorite Manshu official. However, it was confiscated from him when it was discovered that he used regal motifs reserved for imperial use. The mansion was then bequeathed to Prince Gong durin the Xianfeng emperor's reign.
How to reach the Mansion of Prince Gong
Take the subway train to the Gulou subway station.
When to visit
The best time to visit the Mansion of Prince Gong is in the morning, immediately after it opens for the day. The mansion is often visited by tour groups, so you should try to get there before the hordes appear. Then you can spend the rest of the morning to explore the hutong.
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About this website
Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
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