Prince Qing's Mansion had a direct relationship with Prince Gong's Mansion. Prince Qing's Mansion was originally a mansion given to Prince Qing Yonglin by Emperor Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty. Later, Emperor Xianfeng gave it to Prince Gong, and renamed it Prince Gong's Mansion. Therefore, Prince Qing's Mansion changed its name to Prince Gong's Mansion. The two were different naming stages of the same building.
Prince Gong's Mansion was located in Shichahai, Beijing. It was one of the most well-preserved mansions in existence. Its predecessor was the residence of He Shen, a powerful minister in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, and the residence of Yonglin, the younger brother of Emperor Jiaqing. As the residence of a Qing Dynasty prince, the Gong Prince's Mansion had a well-organized layout, exquisite craftsmanship, and crisscrossed pavilions, displaying the glory and wealth of the royal family and the elegance of the people. Prince Gong's Mansion was made up of two parts, the mansion and the garden, covering an area of about 61120 square meters. The mansion was divided into east, middle, and west roads. Each road was formed by a strict central axis that ran through the courtyard houses. The most important buildings in the middle road were the Silver Peace Hall and the Jiale Hall. The roofs were made of green glazed tiles, showing the majesty of the middle road. Prince Gong's Mansion was known as the pearl of Shichahai. It was one of the most well-preserved Qing Dynasty mansions in China.
Prince Gong's Mansion was located in the Xicheng District Beijing City. It was known as the " Wanfu Garden." There were many decorations in Prince Gong's Mansion, the most famous of which was the Fu stele written by Emperor Kangxi, known as the "First Blessing in the World." This Fu stele was found in the Secret Cloud Cave in the garden of Prince Gong's Mansion. It was personally inscribed by Emperor Kangxi and had the auspicious meaning of having many children, many talents, many fields, and long life. Prince Gong's Mansion also had many Fu characters hidden in the railings, flower windows, lintel, and bat shapes. It was said that there were more than 10,000 Fu characters in total. The good fortune of Prince Gong's Mansion came from the decoration of these words, making it one of the places where Beijingers pursued good fortune.
The predecessor of Prince Gong's Mansion was the mansion of He Shen, the favorite minister of the Qianlong period.
Prince Gong's Mansion was located on Liuyin Street on the west bank of Qianhai, Shichahai, Xicheng District, Beijing City. The specific address was 17 Qianhai West Street, Xicheng District, Beijing City. Prince Gong's Mansion occupied an area of about 60,000 square meters, including the mansion and the garden. The mansion occupied 32260 square meters, and the garden occupied 28860 square meters. Prince Gong's Mansion was the largest mansion in the Qing Dynasty and the only one that was open to the public.
The Fu Qing Yu Chuang pattern of Prince Gong's Mansion was composed of an upside down bat, a chime shaped window frame, and a pair of catfish. These patterns implied that there would be more than enough blessings every year. Bats represented happiness and good fortune, while catfish was homonym for "Nian Yu", symbolizing good fortune and abundance. The design of these patterns reflected Prince Gong's wish for good fortune and happiness.
Prince Gong's Mansion was built in the 49th year of Qianlong (1784).
The word "fortune" in Prince Gong's Mansion was called "the best fortune in the world". This Fu stele was written by Emperor Kangxi, and it was engraved with the seal of "Treasure of Emperor Kangxi". The writing method of the Fu character implied five kinds of characters: "son, field, talent, longevity, and blessing", meaning "many sons, many fields, many talents, many longevity, and many blessings". The Fu stele was hidden in the Secret Cloud Cave in the garden of Prince Gong's residence and was considered the treasure of Prince Gong's residence. This stele was the only 'blessing' in the world that combined the five blessings and longevity. It was also known as the 'Longevity Blessing' and the 'First Blessing in the World'. The existence of the monument attracted many tourists to touch it, hoping to get some good fortune. Apart from the Fu stele, there were other buildings and scenic spots related to Fu in Prince Gong's Mansion, such as the Pavilion of Many Blessings, the Pavilion of Blessings Mirror, the Bat (Blessing) Pool, and the Bat (Blessing) Hall. The entire Prince Gong's Mansion was known as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Blessings", and the blessing culture was one of its major characteristics.
The tour sequence of Prince Gong's Mansion was: main entrance, east hall, inner house, west hall, back garden. They entered from the main entrance and toured the various places one by one.
The window of the Prince Gong's Mansion was located on the second floor of the back building. This window was one of the most iconic windows in the back building. The windows were in different shapes, including round, square, pomegranate, scroll, chime, fish, bat, and so on. Among them, the " Fu Qing Yu Yu " window used the pattern of " bat, chime, and fish ". It was carved with a bat that was hanging upside down. There was a window in the shape of an ancient musical instrument chime in its mouth, and two catfish hung in the middle of the window. This window symbolized " happiness and prosperity ".
The Blessing Hall of Prince Gong's Mansion was located at the northernmost end of the garden road of Prince Gong's Mansion. Its original name was Yunlin Bookstore or Hanyu Hall. The Hall of Blessing got its name because it was shaped like a bat with its wings spread. The entire building included the main hall and the wings on both sides. The design of the Blessing Hall was inspired by the meaning of blessing in traditional Chinese culture. Bats were often homophonic with the gospel in Chinese culture, meaning happiness and good fortune. It was said that there was a Ming Fu and 9999 hidden Fu in Prince Gong's Mansion. Ming Fu referred to the Fu stele written by Emperor Kangxi in Prince Gong's Mansion, while the hidden Fu was the image of various bats in Prince Gong's Mansion. Therefore, Prince Gong's Mansion was also known as the Fortune Garden. Another highlight of the hall was the painted mottled bamboo. The colorful paintings spread in every corner of the hall, showing the exquisite craftsmanship. In general, the Blessing Hall was a building with the theme of blessing culture in Prince Gong's Mansion. It reflected the pursuit of blessing and the meaning of praying in Chinese traditional culture.