Chapter 22 Lecture 50 Prince Gong's Mansion

There is a legend in Prince Gong's Mansion: Where is the Grand View Garden in Jinghua?Please see Prince Gong's Mansion in Beijing.That is to say, when Cao Xueqin wrote it, he used Prince Gong's Mansion as the blueprint.Some scholars agree with this statement, while others oppose it.In fact, no matter whether Cao Xueqin’s work is based on Prince Kung’s Mansion or not, people today can understand Prince Gong’s Mansion more intuitively and visually by visiting it, because it truly reflects the real living conditions of princesses, princes and other nobles in the Qing Dynasty, and is different from the described ones. There are similarities between Jia Yuanchun returning to her natal family's Grand View Garden to visit relatives.

Shichahai in Beijing is located in the northwest of Beihai, and it is connected with Xiyuan Sanhai.In the Yuan Dynasty, it was an important water transport terminal. In the Qing Dynasty, many large houses were gradually built around Shichahai.The location here is noble, the waterways are winding, the willows are shady, the environment is quiet, the environment is beautiful, and it is very livable.Prince Gong's Mansion is located here, today it is No. 17, Qianhai West Street, Xicheng District. The changes in Prince Gong's Mansion started with Heshen, the Prime Minister of Qianlong.In the forty-first year of Qianlong (1776), this mansion was first built by Heshen, and in the fifty-fourth year (1789), Princess Xiao married here, and gradually formed a pattern of three roads and four entrances, with the front mansion and the back garden.The middle road is used for etiquette, and the east and west roads are used for residence: the princess and the forehead live in the east, and Heshen lives in the west.In the fourth year of Jiaqing (1799), He Shen was executed.The princess and the forehead are still the masters here.But without his garden, he was given to Prince Cheng Yongxuan; without his house, he was given to Prince Qingxi Yonglin.Then Emperor Jiaqing's youngest brother, Prince Qingxi Yonglin, moved into the West Road of Fuli.Here's a story.Yonglin has a handsome appearance and dark skin. He doesn't like reading, but likes music, especially playing.When he was young, he traveled in modest clothes and went to the alleys to have fun. Emperor Qianlong hated him and demoted him to Baylor.Houyan lived in the mansion, entertaining himself with sensuality.In the last years of Qianlong, when the prince coveted the throne, Yong Lin said with a smile, "Even if the emperor falls like rain, I can't drop it on top of me. I just ask my brothers to show mercy and give Heshen the residence, and my wish is enough!" ("Xiao Ting Xulu·Qing Xi Wang Volume 5) After Emperor Jiaqing lost Heshen's family property, he really gave him his mansion.Therefore, for a period of time, Princess He Xiao lived in the east, King Qing lived in the west, and King Qing and his younger sister lived together in this mansion.After the death of the princess and King Qing, King Qing's son was reduced to the title of County King, and this place became the County King's Mansion.

In the 30th year of Daoguang (1850), Emperor Xianfeng succeeded to the throne and gave this mansion to the emperor's sixth younger brother, Prince Gong Yisu, to live in. Since then, it has become "Prince Gong's Mansion".After the death of Prince Gong Yisu, the hereditary succession continued until the early Republic of China.The Wangfu Garden was not completed until the Tongzhi period, and it has been preserved with the Wangfu to this day. The Prince Gong’s Mansion seen today has a layout of the front mansion and the back garden, covering an area of ​​61,120 square meters.

Let's look at the mansion first: the mansion is divided into three roads, east and west. The gate of the middle road, the second gate, Yin'an hall, the shrine, and the back building.The two gates reflect the regulation and style of the prince's mansion.Yin'an Hall is the main hall of the palace, a ceremonial hall.The shrine is a hall where shamans offer sacrifices to gods and heaven. A cauldron for cooking sacrificial meat is placed in the hall, and a stone seat for a god pole is still preserved in the courtyard.The Houshalou has two floors, 156 meters long from east to west, and 109 rooms in total. It is a special case of the Houshalou of the palace in the Qing Dynasty.At the westernmost end of the back cover building is an exquisite indoor garden - "Shuifa Building".The upper and lower floors are stacked with rockery, fountains and pools.Houmalou was originally the residence of Feng's wife, Mrs. Heshen.Yifu turned it into a warehouse for storing treasures. The windows have different shapes, such as round, square, peach, pomegranate, and scroll. It is said that this is a sign that implies that different treasures are stored in each room.Most of these treasures were later sold off by Pu Wei, the last Prince Gong.

Duofuxuan on East Road, Le Dao Hall.East Road was originally the residence of Princess Hexiao, and later Prince Gong also lived in East Road.Duofuxuan was the Yanxi Hall when Princess Hexiao lived, and it was the residence of Princess Hexiao and Yinde, the rich squire.During the period of Prince Gong, Duofuxuan was the living room and study of Prince Gong.The plaque "Duofuxuan" is inscribed by Emperor Xianfeng.The plaque of "Tongde Yanli" (li, read xi here, meaning Tongfu, Tongxi) hangs in the middle of the pavilion, which was written by Cixi in the seventh year of Guangxu (1881).Legend has it that when Ci'an died of illness, Guangxu was still young, and Cixi centralized power, the four characters on the plaque are admonitions: Only by "sharing the same virtues" with Cixi can we "extend the fortune".There are more than ten plaques of "Fu" and "Shou" hanging on the four walls of Duofu Xuan near the ceiling.On the plaque, the words "Fu" and "Shou" are squared, and the rhombus is red, which was given to Prince Gong by the emperor or the empress dowager.Every Zhengdan, after receiving the "blessing" and "longevity", Prince Gong goes home and covers the old one with the new one, implying blessings and longevity.Le Dao Hall was originally the dormitory of Princess Hexiao, and the phoenix painted with gold from the Qianlong period is still preserved on the indoor beams.Luxurious peonies bloom between the golden phoenixes, fully demonstrating the noble status of Princess Hexiao.She has lived here for 34 years.Prince Gong also used it as a bedroom.

West Road Baoguang Room, Xijinzhai.West Road was originally the residence of Heshen, the father-in-law of Princess Hexiao, and later Prince Qing.When Prince Gong was here, it was the living room and the place where the treasure was hidden.Baoguang Room, the word "Baoguang" comes from "Zhuangzi·Qiwulun": "Injecting without dissatisfaction, drinking without exhaustion, without knowing its origin, this is called Baoguang." Emperor Xianfeng secretly warned Yi not to " Don't be "full", and don't be "exhausted", but hide the light without revealing it. The "Baoguang Room" plaque was inscribed by Emperor Xianfeng when he was lucky.Yi Fu wrote an "Baoguang Chamber Ming" for this purpose.Prince Gong used this room as a VIP living room to receive close relatives.Xijinzhai, which was called Jialetang in Heshen, was the living room.Heshen imitated the Ningshou Palace in the Forbidden City and carefully decorated it. He installed a golden nanmu immortal building. The materials are expensive and carefully crafted. Together with the volcanic rock floor tiles with golden patterns, they are full of gorgeousness and many of them are beyond the system. Later, they were listed as one of the major crimes. .Prince Gong collected Ping Fu Tie written by Lu Ji of the Western Jin Dynasty in the Zhai and renamed it Xijin Zhai.

Look at the garden again: the garden had already been built during Heshen’s time, and it was rebuilt in Yisu, echoing the mansion garden, with an orderly layout.The garden is also divided into three roads, east and west. Xiyangmen on the middle road, Dule Peak, Bat Pond, Anshan Hall, Stele of Fu, and Bat Hall.When Heshen built the Western Gate, he misappropriated the design and materials of the Old Summer Palace, which later became one of his crimes.The bat pool is named after its shape resembling a bat.This is the most important landscape on the middle road. The Chishang Hall is the banquet hall where Yifu entertains important guests.There is Duhe Bridge on the Bat Pool, and Anshan Hall to the north of the bridge.To the north of Anshantang is Dicui Rock, and on the west side there is a ramp to climb the rock, commonly known as "Pingbu Qingyun".In the middle of the Miyun cave under the rock, there is a stele with the word "Fu", which is the imperial pen of Emperor Kangxi.This word of blessing, which gathers "six mores" - many blessings, many talents, many longevity, many fields, many sons, and many jubilees, is known as "the best blessing in the world" and is the treasure of the town of Prince Gong's mansion.The shape of the bat hall connects the main hall and the hatchback as a whole, and it looks like a bat with wings spread, hence the name.The "Five Blessings" in the garden - Bat Pool, Bat Hall, Stele of Fu, Duofu Pavilion and painted bats in the veranda, etc., constitute the characteristics of "Fu" in Prince Kung's Mansion.Will this bring "blessing" to Heshen and Yisu?I will answer later.

The East Road Yishen Institute is the only fully enclosed theater building in the existing palaces in my country.Its construction area is 685 square meters and can accommodate more than 200 people to watch the theater.The sound of opera is continuous and continues to this day. Yuguan West Road, Dihuaxuan, verandah.Yuguan, an alias of Shanhaiguan, marks the memory of the Qing Dynasty entering the Central Plains from Shanhaiguan.Dihuaxuan, named after "Dihua Collaboration", has a historical story here: Yisu and Yi were in the study together, reading scriptures, learning riding and shooting, and jointly made 28 spear techniques and 18 sword techniques. Emperor Daoguang The spear was named "Dihua Xieli", the sword was named "Bao'e Xuanwei", and the Baihong sword was given to Yisu. (Volume 221 of "Manuscripts of Qing History · Yi Vu Biography") This naming is both "prestige and instrument" and "cooperation" between brothers.The Baihong Knife was originally displayed here.According to Mr. Yuyi, when he and Puyi fled to Dalizigou, Linjiang County, Jilin Province in 1945, they lost the "Baihong Knife".The colorful paintings on the corridor, the upside-down lintels, and the lintels of the stools are all decorated with bat patterns, which have the meaning of looking up to see blessings, bending down to pick up blessings, seeing blessings everywhere, and bringing blessings home.

Now Prince Kung's Mansion has been renovated, and the audience is bustling every day.Prince Gong's Mansion not only reflects the regulation and hierarchy of the Qing Dynasty's royal mansion, but also reflects the status and prayers of the royal family's life in the royal mansion.