# Prince Gong's Mansion, Beijing

> Prince Gong's Mansion (Gongwangfu) is Beijing's best-known Qing princely residence, beside the Shichahai lakes. Tickets cost ¥40, sold online only, in advance, with your passport. It opens Tuesday to Sunday 8:30–17:00, last entry 16:10, and closes Mondays. Allow about 90 minutes for the courtyards and garden. Metro Line 6 to Beihai North.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/prince-gong-mansion

- City: [Beijing](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing), China
- YesGo score: 33/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 1 h 30 min
- Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday 8:30–17:00, ticket sales end 16:00, last entry 16:10; closed Mondays except public holidays
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Ticket: ¥40
- Children: Free up to age 6 or 1.2 m tall; half price from 6 to 18, including foreign teenagers with a passport
- Over 60: Half price with ID; the rules don't say whether a foreign passport counts
- Booking: Online only, on the museum's website or WeChat account, choosing 'passport' as the ID type; each date opens at 20:00 ten days ahead
- Limits: One ticket per passport per day, up to 5 tickets per order
- On the day: No ticket office at the gate; returned tickets sometimes go back on sale
- Entering with a passport: Swap your booking for an entry voucher at the service desk (综合服务处) — bring the original passport
- Cancellation: Refundable until 22:00 on the day; cancelling after 16:00 counts as a no-show, and three no-shows in 60 days block booking for 60 days
- Daily cap: Set at 32,000 tickets a day in 2020; the museum doesn't publish a current figure
- Audio guide: ¥30 for 2 hours, in English, French, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese
- Payment: The booking system takes WeChat Pay or Alipay; link a foreign card before you travel
- Metro: Line 6 to Beihai North, Exit B (northeast), then 200–300 m to Gate 1
- Address: 17 Qianhai West Street, Xicheng District (前海西街17号)
- Coordinates: 39.93664, 116.37986
- Facts checked: 04.11.2026

## Key facts

- **¥40** — full ticket; under-6s or under 1.2 m free, ages 6–18 half price (source: Prince Kung's Palace Museum, ticket rules)
- **Monday** — closed except on public holidays; otherwise 8:30–17:00, last entry 16:10 (source: Prince Kung's Palace Museum, visitor guide)
- **10 days** — how far ahead booking opens, at 20:00 Beijing time; foreign visitors pick 'passport' as the ID type (source: Prince Kung's Palace Museum, ticket rules)
- **≈ 6 ha** — total area, split roughly evenly between residential courtyards and garden (source: English and Russian Wikipedia (60,000 m²); Chinese Wikipedia (61,120 m²))
- **Qianlong** — the emperor under whom the mansion was built for his favourite, the minister Heshen (source: English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia)
- **1850** — Emperor Xianfeng gave the mansion to his brother Prince Gong (Yixin), who gave it its name (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia)
- **722 m²** — floor area of the enclosed wooden opera house in the garden, one of very few surviving from the Qing era (source: Prince Kung's Palace Museum, opera house page)
- **129 × 54 cm** — the Fu ('fortune') stele after Kangxi Emperor's calligraphy, set in a grotto under a rockery (source: Prince Kung's Palace Museum, Fu stele page)
- **1982** — listed as a major historical and cultural site protected at national level (source: Prince Kung's Palace Museum; English and Chinese Wikipedia)
- **2008** — after restoration, both the residence and the garden opened to visitors (source: English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia)
- **5A** — China's top tourist-site grade, held since 2012 (source: Prince Kung's Palace Museum; Chinese Wikipedia)

> **No walk-up tickets: book online first** There's no ticket office at the gate. You book on the museum's website or WeChat account, and each date goes on sale at 20:00 Beijing time ten days ahead. Weekends and holidays sell out fast. Choose 'passport' as your ID type, then bring the original passport on the day — the service desk swaps your booking for an entry voucher.

## Prince Gong's Mansion tickets: price and how to book as a foreigner

A full ticket is **¥40** all year. Children aged 6 and under, or 1.2 m and shorter, go free. Ages 6 to 18 pay **half price**, and the museum says explicitly that this includes foreign teenagers with a passport or student card. Over-60s also get half price with ID, though the rules don't say whether that applies to a foreign passport.

Tickets are **online only**, on the official museum website or its WeChat account. Sales for each date open at **20:00 Beijing time ten days ahead**. Tickets are in your name: choose 'passport' as the document type and enter your name and number exactly as printed. One passport gets one ticket per day, and an order can hold up to five.

The booking system is mostly in Chinese, and guides say it takes WeChat Pay or Alipay. Both accept many foreign Visa and Mastercard cards once linked to your passport, so set them up before you fly. Resellers handle the process in English for a markup; the ticket is still issued to your passport.

Refunds are possible until 22:00 on the visit day, but cancelling after 16:00 counts as a no-show, and three no-shows in 60 days block you from booking for 60 days. If your date is sold out, check again on the day — returned tickets sometimes go back on sale.

## Opening hours and the best time to go

The museum opens **Tuesday to Sunday, 8:30–17:00**. Ticket sales stop at 16:00 and the last entry is 16:10. It's closed on Mondays except public holidays, and publishes special timetables for holiday weeks. The official site lists a single timetable for the whole year — no separate winter hours.

Come at opening time. The first hour is the quietest in the courtyards, and the narrow garden paths are still calm enough to stop at the Fu stele. Tour groups build up towards midday. Late entry works too, but you need at least 90 minutes and the gate shuts at 16:10.

In winter the garden is bare, but snow on the green tiles and red columns is a sight in itself. In spring the courtyard trees blossom. For weekends and holiday weeks, book as soon as sales open.

## What is Prince Gong's Mansion?

**Gongwangfu** (恭王府), 'the residence of Prince Gong', is an aristocratic Manchu compound in Xicheng District, by the Shichahai lakes just south of Houhai. At around six hectares of courtyards, halls and garden, it's one of the largest and best-preserved princely residences in Beijing. Today it's the Prince Kung's Palace Museum, a state museum with China's top 5A tourist grade.

It was built in the second half of the 18th century, under the Qianlong Emperor, for his all-powerful favourite **Heshen**. After Heshen's fall in 1799 the property was confiscated and passed to Prince Qing, one of Qianlong's sons. In 1850 Emperor Xianfeng gave it to his brother, **Prince Gong (Yixin)**, and the name stuck.

In the 20th century the compound housed Fu Jen Catholic University and later offices and flats. It became a nationally protected site in 1982, residents moved out by the early 2000s, and after restoration the whole property — residence and garden — opened to visitors in 2008.

## What to see at Prince Gong's Mansion

- **The three courtyard axes.** The residence is laid out along central, eastern and western lines of courtyards. The central axis holds the formal reception halls, and halls across the residence host permanent and temporary exhibitions on princely life.
- **The long rear building** — a two-storey block running the full width of the compound, dividing the residence from the garden. It has exhibitions too, and its gallery is the easy way to cross between axes.
- **The Western Gate** (西洋门) — a white, European-style arch at the garden entrance. Unusual in a Chinese mansion and the most photographed spot here.
- **The garden** — about three hectares of Taihu-rock hills, ponds, pavilions and covered walkways. Beijing's tourism portal and English Wikipedia count around 20 scenic spots.
- **The Fu stele** (福字碑) — the character for 'fortune' after Kangxi Emperor's calligraphy, with his seal. It sits in the Miyun grotto beneath Dicui Rock in the centre of the garden. The stele itself is small, 129 by 54 cm, but there's nearly always a queue.
- **The Grand Opera House** (大戏楼) — a fully enclosed wooden hall of 722 m² under three linked roofs, with a stage raised a metre and wisteria painted across walls and ceiling. One of very few enclosed Qing-era theatres left.
- **Bats everywhere** — in Chinese 'bat' (蝠) sounds like 'fortune' (福), so the motif turns up all over the garden: in paintings, in the shape of the pond and in the name of the Bat Hall (蝠厅).

## How long do you need, and is it worth it?

The highlights — the central axis, the rear building, the Western Gate, the Fu stele and the opera house — take **about 90 minutes**. The museum itself suggests one-hour, two-hour and half-day routes. Allow 2–3 hours if you want to read the exhibitions in the side courtyards.

Is it worth it? Yes, if you're curious how the nobility lived rather than the emperor. It's far more intimate than the [Forbidden City](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/forbidden-city), the courtyards are on a human scale, and the garden is classic Beijing. It also pairs naturally with the lakes and hutongs, all within a 5–15 minute walk.

The downsides: it's hugely popular with domestic tourists, the garden paths get crowded, especially at the stele, and labels are mostly in Chinese with some English. If you only have one day in Beijing and haven't seen the Forbidden City, go there first and save this for day two.

> **Opera shows** Visit Beijing and Russian Wikipedia say the opera house stages Peking opera, but the official site publishes no schedule and shows may not be included in admission. Don't plan your visit around one: ask at the visitor service centre by Gate 1 whether the hall is open inside and whether anything is on that day.

## How to get to Prince Gong's Mansion

1. From Tiananmen Square, take **Line 1** from Tiananmen East one stop to **Wangfujing**.
2. Change to **Line 8** and ride three stops north to **Nanluoguxiang**.
3. Change to **Line 6** westbound for one stop to **Beihai North**. Allow about 35 minutes in total with the changes.
4. Leave by **Exit B** (northeast). Walk 200 m along Sanzuoqiao Hutong (三座桥胡同) or 300 m along Longtoujing Street (龙头井街) to **Gate 1** — about 5 minutes.
5. Just inside Gate 1, to the east, is the visitor service centre, with left luggage and loan wheelchairs and pushchairs. Swap your passport booking for an entry voucher here.
6. Coming from the lakes: from Silver Ingot Bridge on [Houhai](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/houhai-lake), follow the south shore and lanes to the mansion in about 15 minutes. From **Shichahai** station (Line 8) it's about a 20-minute walk.
7. By taxi or DiDi, show the driver **恭王府** or the address **前海西街17号**. It's about 4 km from the square as the crow flies; parking is limited, and the museum recommends public transport.

## Prince Gong's Mansion vs the Forbidden City and Summer Palace

|  | Prince Gong's Mansion | Forbidden City | Summer Palace |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Princely residence and garden | Imperial palace, now a museum | Lakeside imperial retreat |
| Ticket, Nov–Mar | ¥40 | ¥40 | ¥20 |
| Ticket, Apr–Oct | ¥40 | ¥60 | ¥30 |
| Booking | Online with passport, 10 days ahead | Passport, no sales on the day | Passport, 1–7 days ahead |
| Mondays | Closed | Closed | Paid sights closed Nov–Mar |
| Time needed | 1.5–3 hours | 3–4 hours | Half a day |

The mansion complements the Forbidden City rather than replacing it: one is the ceremonial heart of the empire, the other a noble family's home. The Summer Palace needs its own half day in the northwest of the city.

## Before you go

Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.

- [ ] Ticket booked online, ID type 'passport'
- [ ] Name and passport number match the document
- [ ] Original passport with me for the entry voucher
- [ ] It's not a Monday
- [ ] I'll arrive before 16:10
- [ ] WeChat Pay or Alipay set up with a foreign card
- [ ] 恭王府 and 前海西街17号 saved for the taxi
- [ ] Comfortable shoes for the garden steps

## Beijing's palaces compared

Palaces and residences in Beijing rated by YesGo.

- [Forbidden City](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/forbidden-city) — YesGo score 61/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h 30 min · ¥40 Nov–Mar, ¥60 Apr–Oct
- [Tiananmen Gate](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-gate) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥15, concession ¥5, booking only
- [Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple)](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/lama-temple) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ ¥25, booked in WeChat
- [Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan)](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/old-summer-palace) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ¥10, ¥25 with the ruins
- [Prince Gong's Mansion](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/prince-gong-mansion) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥40, book ahead with passport
- [Summer Palace](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-summer-palace) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h 30 min · ¥20–30, ¥50–60 through ticket

## Jingshan, Beihai, Prince Gong and the lakes

The view from Jingshan and Beihai Park in the morning, Prince Gong's Mansion after lunch, then Houhai and the lanes by the Drum Tower towards evening. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers.

1. [Jingshan Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/jingshan-park) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥2, ¥10 during exhibitions
2. [Beihai Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beihai-park) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ¥5–10, ¥15–20 with the island
3. [Prince Gong's Mansion](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/prince-gong-mansion) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥40, book ahead with passport
4. [Houhai Lake and Shichahai](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/houhai-lake) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free
5. [Drum and Bell Towers](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-drum-and-bell-towers) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ¥30 for both towers

## Not to be confused

Despite the 'palace' in some English names, this is a princely mansion, not an imperial palace. The emperors lived in the Forbidden City and summered at the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace. Prince Gong's Mansion, Prince Kung's Palace Museum and Gongwangfu are all the same place.

## Tips

- For a weekend or holiday visit, set an alarm for 20:00 Beijing time ten days before.
- Start on the central axis and work north to the garden, so the exhibitions come on the way rather than at the end when you're tired.
- The English audio guide costs ¥30 for two hours and fills in what the Chinese-only labels leave out.
- The queue at the Fu stele is shortest in the first hour after opening.
- Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is banned throughout, and climbing the garden rockeries isn't allowed.
- Afterwards, walk to Houhai Lake and the [hutongs](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-hutongs) — the water is a few minutes away.
- Wheelchairs, pushchairs and left luggage are available at the service centre by Gate 1.

## Questions

### How much are Prince Gong's Mansion tickets?

¥40. Children under 6 or under 1.2 m go free, and ages 6–18 pay half price, foreign teenagers included.

### How do foreigners book Prince Gong's Mansion?

Online only, on the museum's website or WeChat account, up to ten days ahead, choosing 'passport' as the ID type. Payment is usually WeChat Pay or Alipay. On the day, swap the booking for an entry voucher at the service desk.

### Can I buy a ticket at the gate?

No, there's no ticket office. If your date is sold out online, check again on the day for returned tickets.

### What are the opening hours?

Tuesday to Sunday, 8:30–17:00, last entry 16:10. Closed Mondays except public holidays.

### How long should I spend at Prince Gong's Mansion?

About 90 minutes for the central axis, garden, Fu stele and opera house; 2–3 hours with the side-courtyard exhibitions.

### How do I get to Prince Gong's Mansion?

Metro Line 6 to Beihai North, Exit B, then 200–300 m to Gate 1. From Houhai Lake it's about a 15-minute walk.

### Is Prince Gong's Mansion worth visiting?

Yes if you're interested in aristocratic life and classic Beijing gardens, especially combined with the Shichahai lakes. With only one day in Beijing, see the Forbidden City first.

### What is the Fu stele?

A stone tablet carved with the character for 'fortune' after Kangxi Emperor's calligraphy, set in a grotto under a rockery in the garden. It's small — 129 by 54 cm.

### Is there an English audio guide?

Yes, ¥30 for two hours, also in French, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese.

## How we checked

The English core comes from search results and related questions: tickets and price, how to book as a foreigner, opening hours and Mondays, how to get there, is it worth it, the opera house and the Fu stele. Price, concessions, booking, refunds, hours, Monday closure, audio guide and the walk from the metro were checked on the museum's official site. It lists one timetable for the whole year; Beijing's tourism portal gives 8:30–16:30, but that page is older, so we follow the museum. The museum doesn't publish a current daily cap — 32,000 a day appears only in a 2020 Xinhua report, so that row is marked checking. Payment by WeChat Pay or Alipay comes from guides; we found no official statement. No official opera show schedule is published, and resellers say the opera house and Bat Hall aren't included in every ticket, so we don't promise access inside. Conflicts: the build date is 1776, 1777 or 1780 depending on the Wikipedia edition, so we say the second half of the 18th century; the area is 60,000 or 61,120 m², so we say about six hectares; the museum gives the opera house 722 m², Russian Wikipedia 685 m², and we follow the museum; English Wikipedia calls the Fu stele eight metres tall while the museum gives 129 × 54 cm, and we follow the museum. Sources disagree on when the garden first opened (1988 or 1996), so we leave it out. The distance is from Wikidata coordinates.

## Sources

- Prince Kung's Palace Museum, official website (pgm.org.cn): ticket rules, visitor guide, transport, audio guide, opera house and Fu stele pages, about the museum
- Xinhua via China Daily (January 2020): timed online sales, cap of 32,000 tickets a day
- Visit Beijing (official Beijing tourism portal): Prince Kung's Palace Museum — garden, scenic spots
- English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia: Prince Gong's Mansion, Гунванфу, 恭王府; Wikidata Q2666344
- Guides and reseller sites (Travel China Guide and others): booking payment, voucher exchange — unofficial
- YesGo notes on China and Beijing: payment for foreign visitors, metro, Forbidden City and Summer Palace prices

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