Langrun Garden in Peking University, in the Haidian District of Beijing, is located to the north of Minghe Garden and Jingchun Garden, and to the south of Wanquan River. Formerly known as Chunhe Garden, the Garden was owned by Prince Yonglin in the Reign of Jiaqing Emperor in Qing Dynasty. In the period of Emperor Xianfeng, the Garden was conferred to Prince Yixin and was renamed as Langrun Garden.  According to History of Peking University by Mr. Hou Renzhi, Langrun Garden was returned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 1898 - the 24th year of Emperor Guangxu's Reign - after Prince Yixin died.

For a time, it was used as the conference venue for Qing Dynasty ministers serving the court at the Summer Palace. At the end of the Emperor Xuantong period, the Emperor Puyi was afraid that the Garden might be damaged by warlords and conferred it to Prince Zaitao. Later, it was taken over by Yanjing University (now called Peking University). The eastern part of Langrun Garden is now home to the China Center for Economic Research at Peking University. Zhifuxuan in its east section has been the venue for large events such as public lectures and conferences, and other halls are now used as offices and study venues for the Center.

Between October 1995 and May 1997, the China Center for Economic Research raised money to renovate and expand Langrun Garden. Peking University even set up a commemoration tablet on the day of completion. Mr. Hou Renzhi, a respected scholar, collaborated with Professor Zhang Xin of the Archaeology Department in compiling a Record of Renovating Langrun Garden, which traces the history of the Garden, and records the entire renovation process. The Record tells the history of Langrun Garden in concise and plain language. The inscription on the stone tablet was written in red by Professor Zhang Xin. Now the tablet stands directly in front of the Zhifuxuan of the China Center for Economic Research. Zhifuxuan used to be the living place of Prince Yixin; the three characters on the inscribed tablet were personally written by Emperor Xianfeng. Visitors to the Building, by reading the Record, might be informed of the history of Langrun Garden.

After the first phase of renovation was completed, Langrun Garden began to function as a venue for staff offices for the China Center for Economic Research. However, the space was not sufficient for the Center. In 2001, supported by Mr. Wan Zhong, a Taiwan compatriot, Wan Zhong Garden was built to the east of the main body of Langrun Garden, and an independent courtyard was formed with Wan Zhong Building in the center. All architecture in the garden is in the form of ancient pagoda-styled courtyard buildings, retaining the original appearance of Langrun Garden. All buildings in it are connected by corridors, adding a new attraction to the Yan Garden in Peking University. The garden is named Wan Zhong Garden in honor of Mr. Wan Zhong for his generosity, and also to express the will that all people (in Chinese, Wan Zhong literally means 10,000 people) will unite for one goal. Professor Justin Yifu Lin, a famous economist and President of the China Center for Economic Research, wrote an inscription on a tablet in front of the Wan Zhong Building.

Langrun Garden in the Past
Formerly known as Chunhe Garden, Langrun Garden used to be one of the annexes of Yuan Ming Yuan (Winter Garden). The Garden was given to Prince Yonglin as his residence in the Reign of Jiaqing Emperor in the Qing Dynasty. Prince Yonglin was the 17th son of Emperor Qianlong and the title of Qing Prince was conferred upon him in the 4th year of Emperor Jiaqing period. Thus Chunhe Garden also became known colloquially as Qing Prince Garden. In 1824, or the 22nd year of Emperor Jiaqing period, Yicai, a descendant of Yonglin, was deprived of his title and Chunhe Garden was returned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Around 1852, or the 2nd year of Emperor Xianfeng period, Chunhe Garden was given to Prince Yixin and renamed as Langrun Garden. After that, the Garden embraced its prime time.... Read More>>