Prince Gong's Mansion was first built in front of Lion Alley in the eastern sector of Di'anmen (Gate of Earthly Peace) Dongjie (east street ).But the present Prince Gong's Mansion is located at 17 Qianhai Xijie on the east bank of Shicha Lake. The mansion is the most exiquisitely decorated and best preserved of the princes' mansions in the capital.Besides the residence there is also a large garden.
  Prince Gong (1835-1898), or Yixin, was the most prominent figure in Empress Dowager Cixi's(1835-1908) times. His palace is among the best-preserved Qing Dynasty(1644-1911) architecture in Beijing. A large garden covers the north half of the 5.7 square kilometers of grounds, and the front gate combines Chinese and Western designs. Although Qing Dynasty rulers were known for strict observance to ancient customs, they could not escape the influence of Western civilization. The gate tells the story of how different civilizations can co-exist in harmony. Inside the gate stands a 5-metre-high stone, Like the other stones in the garden, it came from Lake Tai in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. The stone attracts visitors' attention and thereby prevents the intricacies of the garden from being taken in at one glance. Named “ Peak of Self-Enjoyment” the stone typifies ancient Chinese scholars' pride in keeping apart from worldly ways. As an educated man, Prince Gong shared this view, but he also was an important official In1861, when Emperor Xianfeng (ruled 1851-1861) fell seriously ill, Cixi's 6-year-old son Zaichun was the only eligible successor. But Xianfeng sensed her ambition and named eight ministers to aid the new Emperor Tongzhi (ruled 1862-1874). That winter, Cixi sought Prince Gong's help and captured the eight ministers, three of whom she promptly ordered suffocated. From then on ,Cixi attended to the state affairs, with a veil to separate her and the obedient court. Prince Gong's crucial role in building Cixi's power nevertheless did not endear him to her. Cixi never ceased suspecting him. In the ensuing 40 years, she dismissed him twice and kept a firm grip on power. Therefore, it is not surprising that Prince Gong had the “Peak of Self-Enjoument” set to comfort himself and appease the distrustful Empress Dowager. A few step north of the peak, Flowing Cup Pavilion nestles in a pile of stones. A tiny tunnel linked with the garden stream snakes through the stone floor. Merry-makeres would play a drinking game by floating wine cups through the tunnel. When a cup became lodged in it, the person closest to the cup would have to drink from it. The tradition came from Eastern Jin Dynasty(AD 317-AD 420) practice. In those days, people celebrated the third day of the third lunar month by bathing in the garden's streams in hopes of gaining good luck and health. In the Qing Dynasty, the Manchurian rulers eagerly indulged in the practice at Flowing-Cup Pavilion.Furthermore, the water on which the wine cups floated came from the Jade Spring Hill on the western outskirts of Beijing. Prince Gong's Mansion was the only place outside the Forbidden City that could use the sacred water.