This August 11, 2008 photo shows a corner of the Prince Gong's Mansion. The mansion will be fully opened to tourists on August 20. [Xinhuanet]

It's time to see how luxurious the life of the richest Qing Dynasty official used to be. He Shen's former residence, the Prince Gong's Mansion, will soon be fully opened to visitors for the first time.

The mansion, a national cultural heritage area located in central Beijing, consists of buildings and gardens. The latter has been a favorite tourist spot since 1988.

The buildings section will open on August 20 after a 200 million yuan (US$29.2 million) renovation that has taken two and a half years, China News Service reported Monday.

It will be the first time that the buildings, the best-reserved royal mansion in Beijing, will open to the public since their completion in 1777, the report says.

He Shen, an infamous official who built his fortune mainly on corruption, lived there for two decades before he was executed.

The latest renovation has kept the mansion's original interior styles as well as some of the original furniture He Shen used.

Visitors can also catch a view of carefully designed Siheyuan courtyards. They will also get an idea of royal lives in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) through a range of exhibits there.

There will be regular Kunqu opera performances, and some Danish artworks will add a Western flavor to the Chinese compound, according to the report.