Presidential couples spend day at Palace Museum

Editor's note: China provided a "state visit-plus" reception for US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, with special arrangements for his arrival in Beijing. China Daily brings you a detailed account of the events and exchanges between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart.

Trumps arrive in Beijing

US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, arrived on Air Force One at Beijing Capital International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, welcomed by an elaborate high-level reception.

The Trumps were greeted by senior Chinese officials including State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, as well as a military band and honor guard.

Hundreds of elementary school students waved miniature Chinese and US flags to welcome Trump's car, which was guarded by a motorcade of 21 motorcycles.

Xi, Trump visit former imperial home

President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, accompanied Trump and his wife, Melania, on a tour of three main halls at Beijing's Palace Museum soon after their arrival in Beijing.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony are all in the outer court of the museum, which is also known as the Forbidden City.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, first built in 1420, was once used for major rituals and ceremonies. It is the museum's largest and most important architectural work, covering 2,377 square meters.

The Hall of Central Harmony was used as a preparation room for the emperor before he attended sacrifices or other rituals.

The Hall of Preserving Harmony was used for different functions throughout history, such as Chinese New Year banquets and royal weddings.

The three main halls, all with the Chinese character he (meaning peace and harmony) in their names, embody the idea of the pursuit of peace and harmony.

The magnificent buildings of the three halls and the rich Chinese culture attracted the US presidential couple, and they stopped for some time to look at the buildings.

Trump shows video of granddaughter

Xi welcomed his US counterpart and thanked the entire Trump family for the warm reception he received at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in April.

Trump showed Xi and Peng a video of his granddaughter, Arabella, reciting Sanzijing (Three Character Classic) and ancient Chinese poetry. Xi complimented her language skills, saying her performance was "A-plus".

Xi said Arabella - the daughter of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner - is already a starlet in China, and that he hopes she will have the chance to visit the country.

Arabella sang in Mandarin and recited a Chinese poem for Xi and Peng when the couple visited the United States in April.

Presidents watch repairing of relics

The presidential couples visited the Cultural Relics Hospital at the Palace Museum and watched craftsmen repair historical relics there.

Workers demonstrated their skills in restoring damaged ancient artifacts including clocks, wooden items, metal containers, pottery, textiles, calligraphy and paintings.

The two presidents tried their hand at repairing a relic facsimile and saw an exhibition of treasury relics.

They spoke highly of the enhanced cooperation between China and the US on repairing cultural relics.

The facility, built in 2016, has a training center for the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works to train experts in preserving and protecting Chinese relics.

Xi and Trump watch Peking Opera

The two presidential couples watched a Peking Opera performance at the Palace Museum's Pavilion of Cheerful Melodies on Wednesday.

Actors performed scenes from three classic operas, including Meihouwang (The Monkey King), which features stunning action sequences, and Guifei Zuijiu (The Tipsy Beauty), known for its beautiful dances.

The Monkey King is the main character in the 16th-century Chinese classical novel Journey to the West. After rebelling against Heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain by Buddha, Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King, later accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a journey to fetch Buddhist sutras from "the West".

The Tipsy Beauty is a classic Peking Opera that depicts Yang Yuhuan, a beloved concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), who danced with beautiful steps after getting drunk.

(China Daily 11/09/2017 page3)