Xi welcomes Trump to China’s Forbidden City

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‍Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuan welcomed visiting US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump at the Forbidden City in Beijing on Wednesday.

Having tea

The two leaders and the first ladies had afternoon tea in the Baoyun Building, also known as the Hall of Embodied Treasures, in the southwestern corner of the Forbidden City.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd R) and his wife Peng Liyuan (1st R), and US President Donald Trump (3rd L) and his wife Melania Trump (1st L) have an informal afternoon tea in the Baoyun Building of the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China, November 8, 2017./ Xinhua Photo

Built in 1915, the Baoyun Building is a Western-style building in the former imperial compound. It was used to store antiques, but now serves as an exhibition hall for the museum's history.

Visiting the front palaces

After tea, the two leaders and the first ladies visited the three main halls of the Forbidden City – the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

During the tour of the ancient palace, Xi briefed the visiting couple on the museum's history, architecture and culture, which received high praise from them.

Watching craftsmen repair relics

The two leaders and their wives attended an exhibition of antiques and watched the repair of some historical relics at the museum's conservation workshop, known as "the antiques hospital."

The guests were also invited to experience a Chinese painting being mounted on a scroll.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (2rd L) and his wife Peng Liyuan (1st L), and US President Donald Trump (2rd R) and his wife Melania Trump (1st R) visit the conservation workshop at the Palace Museum on November 8, 2017./ Reuters Photo

The two leaders made positive comments on the deep cooperation in antiques restoration between the two countries.

Admiring Peking Opera

Peking Opera is an artistic form that took shape out of the blending and exchange of several local operas.

The presidents and their wives took in pieces from three classic plays, namely Spring Seedlings in the Pear Garden, Monkey King, and The Drunken Beauty.

They took pictures together with the performers after the performance, which drew applause and cheers from the audience.

This is the third meeting between the two leaders after they met at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and at the G20 Summit in Hamburg.

President Trump arrived in Beijing to kick off a three-day state visit to China on Wednesday.

(With input from Xinhua)

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