The princely mansions of Beijing

The best addresses of Qing Dynasty Beijing

The online journal China Heritage Quarterly has just published a new issue about the princely mansions of Beijing. This is from the introduction:

Princely mansions (wangfu 王府) dotted the Inner City (Nei Cheng, also known in English as the 'Tartar City') of the Qing-dynasty capital of Beijing. These residences, consisting of interconnected courtyards, large ceremonial halls, intimate apartments and often spacious gardens, were the focus of the nobility of China's last great dynasty, as well as being a focal point for the support and evolution of many aspects of late-traditional culture that has nurtured elements of the twentieth-century Beijing temper.

Although dozens of these princely mansions survived into the revolutionary era (1948-), albeit in various states of repair, today one can only visit the Garden of Prince Gong's Mansion (Gong wangfu huayuan) on Liuyin Street near Qianhai, and the Residence of Song Qingling at Jishui Tan, once part of Prince Chun's Mansion (Chun wangfu).

This issue of China Heritage Quarterly contains a rich mix of articles about various princely mansions, and aspects of Qing Dynasty culture in Beijing.