Prince Keqin’s Mansion (克勤郡王府)

Prince Keqin’s Mansion is a key protection unit of cultural relics in Beijing, and is a well-preserved mansion of its kind. Long noted for its stunning resemblance to the mansion described in Cao Xueqin’s dream of the Red Chamber, Prince Keqin’s Mansion was owned by a man named Fu Peng in the 1680s. Fu was Cao’s cousin, and the one who provided shelter when the author’s family was ruined by political struggle. The one-year-stay at the mansion was a period of field research that would provide the foundation for Cao’s detailed description of Manchu royal life.

Although the mansion is not large, it is exquisitely constructed. It is now the Beijing No.2 Experimental Primary School.