Prince Kung’s Palace Museum

Prince Kung's Palace Museum
文化部恭王府博物馆

Address: 17 West Qianhai Street, Xicheng district, Beijing
Websites:
en.pgm.org.cn (En)
www.pgm.org.cn (Cn)
Hours:
8:30 - 17:00 (no entry after 16:10)
Closed Mondays (except for national holidays)
General admission: 40 yuan
Tel: (+86-10)83288149

First built during the Qianlong reign (1736-1795) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Prince Kung's Palace Museum lies deep in the shade of willows by Shichahai Lake in Beijing. The museum, covering more than 60,000 square meters, is endowed with elegant ancient buildings, beautiful gardens and rich culture.

Prince Kung's Palace Museum, as a museum and tourist destination, was designated as one of the nation's foremost protected cultural heritage sites in 1982, and a National 5A Tourist Attraction in 2012.

Prince Kung's Palace has more than 200 years of history, having survived seven imperial reigns of the Qing Dynasty. There is a saying "you can see the history of half of the Qing dynasty at Prince Kung's Palace".

It was the residence of several Qing dynasty aristocrats and imperial kinsmen, including the very first resident Heshen (1750-1799), the powerful yet controversial political heavy, Yonglin, the younger brother of Emperor Jiaqing (r. 1796-1820), and Yixin or Prince Kung (the mansion is named after him), the younger brother of Emperor Xianfeng (r. 1851-1861).

Prince Kung's Palace follows the traditional architectural layout of a residential area in the front with gardens in the back. The two parts are of similar size. Among all the buildings, the two-story Rear Building, the Western-style Gate, the Grand Theatre, and the "Fu" Character Stele are fondly dubbed the "three masterpieces and one treasure" of the palace.

The museum's permanent exhibitions encompass various themes, include the culture of princes' residences throughout the Qing Dynasty, the history of Prince Kung's Palace, the relationship between Prince Kung's Palace Museum and Dream of the Red Chamber (Honglou meng), and the portrayal of religious life at Prince Kung's Palace.