In the Ming Dynasty, this house was to the west of the Ming Palace, built by a duke. In the Qing dynasty, it became the Office of the Viceroy of Two Lower Yangtze Provinces, the chief government official in charge of what is today Jiangsu, Shanghai, Anhui and Jiangxi. When Qianlong visited the Lower Yangtze, he chose this office to be the detached palace together with the Imperial Silk House. Today, "Daxinggong" (lit. the Great Detached Palace) Station of Nanjing Metro Line 2 is named after it.