Prince Kung's Palace Museum

M95***71
This mansion, a repository of half of Qing Dynasty history, boasts elegant pavilions and gardens, and its renowned "Fu" (福, meaning good fortune) character stele.
As one of the largest and best-preserved princely mansions of the Qing Dynasty, the former residence of Heshen and Prince Gong, it is said to contain "half of Qing Dynasty history." The mansion features three courtyards and five halls, with the golden nanmu wood hall of Xijinzhai, the "99 and a half rooms" of the rear building, the Western-style gate in the garden (a unique surviving example in Beijing), the grand opera stage, and the "Fu" character stele in Miyun Cave (written by Emperor Kangxi) all being top attractions.
The gardens are exquisitely landscaped: Cuijin Garden combines the grandeur of northern imperial architecture with the delicate beauty of southern water towns, with its bat pond, rockeries, and pavilions complementing each other.