On November 8, 2017, President Xi Jinping and his wife Mme. Peng Liyuan accompanied President Donald Trump of the US and his Wife Mme. Melania Trump, who were on a state visit to China, on a tour in the Palace Museum. Both heads of state and their wives had an afternoon tea in the Baoyun Building (the Building of Embodied Treasures) of the Forbidden City and visited the three front halls of the Forbidden City. They visited the exhibition of repairing techniques of historical relics and the exhibition of antiques and also watched Peking Opera.

In this beautiful autumn, the red walls and golden tiles in the Forbidden City shine brilliantly and add radiance to each other. Xi Jinping and his wife Mme. Peng Liyuan greeted Donald Trump and his Wife Mme. Melania Trump in front of the Baoyun Building of the Forbidden City. Both heads of state and their wives exchanged warm and friendly greetings and walked into the Baoyun Building for an afternoon tea.

The Baoyun Building teems with tea aroma, elegant music and rich cultural atmosphere. Xi Jinping warmly welcomed Donald Trump’s state visit to China on the occasion of the first anniversary of being elected as President of the US and thanked Donald Trump and his family for their kind reception at Mar-a-Lago this April, wishing Donald Trump and his wife a pleasant visit in China.

Xi Jinping stressed that President Donald Trump’s visit to China was of great significance, which was not only a matter of great concern to both China and the US, but also attracting the attention of all countries in the world. It is believed that with concerted efforts of the two sides, the visit will yield positive and important results. Xi Jinping briefed Donald Trump at inquiry on China’s current economic and social development as well as the major outcomes of the just-concluded 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Donald Trump thanked the Chinese side for the considerate arrangement on his visit to China and congratulated on the successful conclusion of the 19th CPC National Congress and on Xi Jinping’s re-election as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. He praised China's achievements in economic development and expected a successful state visit to China.

Xi Jinping introduced the history of the Forbidden City to Donald Trump and pointed out that the Forbidden City is an indispensable access to discover China’s history and culture. Soon afterwards, Xi Jinping and his wife accompanied Donald Trump and his wife on a visit to the three front halls. The two heads of state and their wives walked across the Neijinshuiqiao (the Inner Golden Water Bridge) and the Taihemen (the Gate of Supreme Harmony), and took photos at the square in front of the magnificent and solemn Taihedian (the Hall of Supreme Harmony). Walking along the central axis of the Forbidden City, both heads of state and their wives visited the Taihedian (the Hall of Supreme Harmony), Zhonghedian (the Hall of Central Harmony) and Baohedian (the Hall of Preserving Harmony) one by one and experienced China’s cultural traditions from the Chinese character “he” (harmony) embodied in the Chinese names of the three main halls. Donald Trump, amazed by the splendid architecture of the Forbidden City, occasionally stopped his paces and appreciated with strong interest. He appreciated the red walls, golden tiles, carved beams and painted pillars earnestly, showing great admiration to the profound and rich traditional Chinese culture.

After visiting the three front halls, both heads of state and their wives arrived at the "antiques hospital" of the Forbidden City and watched the exhibition of repairing techniques of such antiques as clocks and watches, carpentries, metalwork, ceramics, textiles, calligraphy works and paintings. They participated in the restoration of calligraphy works and paintings on the spot, and watched the exhibition of antiques together. Both heads of state made positive comments on the extensive and in-depth cooperation in antiques restoration between the two countries.

With the day giving way to the beautiful sunset and the lights being lit, both heads of state and their wives moved on to the Changyinge (the Pavilion of Cheerful Melodies) and they, along the way, appreciated the exquisite Cloisonné artworks and their production techniques, taking part in the interaction of the “adding cloisons” procedure. They then took in three classic pieces of Peking Opera, including Spring Seedlings in the Pear Garden, The Monkey King and The Drunken Beauty. The performances were greeted by rounds upon rounds of applause and cheers from the audience.

During the visit and exchanges, the two heads of state also exchanged views on state governance and administration, China-US relations and other issues of mutual concern.

Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee Ding Xuexiang, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and State Councilor Yang Jiechi and others attended above events.