Prince Gong's Mansion — the haunted palace of Beijing's most corrupt official

The Gongwangfu (Prince Gong's Mansion) in Beijing's Xicheng district is one of the best-preserved princely mansions of the Qing dynasty. Its original owner was Heshen, the notoriously corrupt Grand Secretary under the Qianlong Emperor, who amassed a personal fortune estimated to be larger than the entire national treasury. After Heshen's forced suicide in 1799, the mansion passed through several owners before becoming the residence of Prince Gong, a key figure in the late Qing reforms. The mansion is said to be haunted by the ghost of Heshen, whose corrupt spirit reportedly cannot rest. Staff and visitors have described seeing a figure in Qing official robes in the garden pavilions, hearing the clink of gold coins in the treasury rooms, and feeling an oppressive, greedy energy in certain halls. The garden, considered one of the finest classical Chinese gardens in Beijing, has been the site of reports of phantom lantern lights and the sound of Qing court music. Some legends connect the haunting to Heshen's hidden treasure, which was never fully recovered — his ghost is said to guard the remaining gold. The mansion's exquisite architecture and gardens create a beautiful setting where the ghosts of dynastic excess linger among the rockeries and pavilions.