He Shen was granted with great power in the dynasty. At the same time, Qianlong gave Princess Hexiao He Shen's son in marriage. He Shen abused his power by forming a clique to pursue self-interests, tyrannizing people and practicing corruption. A Britain ambassador heard in his visit to China that, "many Chinese called He Shen the no. 2 emperor in private."

In 1799, after the death of his father Qianlong, the new Emperor Jiaqing had He Shen's residence searched and his property confiscated. He Shen's assets were valued at over 800 million tael of silver (used then as currency, worth about US$840 million), accounting for about a decade of government revenue. He Shen then was charged with 20 crimes and ordered to commit suicide.

On the west axis of the garden, Xijin Zhai (Studio of Granting Promotions), now a Western-style reception room, still retained some of its original layout in the period of He Shen, who ordered the extremely luxurious construction of nanmu (large, slow-growing tree) beams and pillars and sandalwood partitions reminiscent of those in the Ningshou Palace (Palace of Tranquil Longevity) in the Forbidden City , which unfortunately became the thirteenth of twenty crimes that brought He Shen the death penalty.

Yi Xin

Gongwangfu was bestowed by Emperor Xianfeng to his half-brother Yi Xin, Prince Gong, in 1852, hence its present name.

It was in 1937 when Gongwangfu was sold by Prince Gong's descendants and used as the site of the Furen Girls' School. The mansion section later changed hands many times -- from Furen University to Beijing Normal University to Beijing Art Institute and finally to the China Conservatory of Music . At the same time, many units shared the garden.

Damage to the princely complex has been going on for over a century. Some old buildings have been either pulled down to make way for modern high-rises, or redecorated to suit the installation of modern facilities like exhaust fans, or simply changed into classrooms, students' dormitories, and dining rooms.

Now closed for overall renovation, Gongwangfu is currently being transformed into the country's first national museum on princely residences, which is due to open before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Amid some encouraging recoveries, Gongwangfu is entering another stage in its history…

Author: Cindy

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