[US-China Summit] Trump Visits Beijing's Temple of Heaven Park...Message of Bilateral Stability

Trump and Xi Visit Temple of Heaven Together After Summit

First U.S. Presidential Visit to Temple of Heaven in 51 Years

Meeting at the "Heart of Power," Zhongnanhai, Set for the 15th

Nine years after U.S. President Donald Trump's first visit to China, when a "royal protocol" was staged at the Forbidden City, the leaders of the United States and China this time visited the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) Park in Beijing together. The Temple of Heaven, a symbolic site where Ming and Qing dynasty emperors conducted rituals to heaven, conveyed a diplomatic message emphasizing stability and harmony in bilateral relations following the U.S.-China summit.

Yonhap News Agency

According to Xinhua News Agency and Lianhe Zaobao on the 14th, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed President Trump near the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (Qiniandian), the central building of the Temple of Heaven, after the U.S.-China summit on this day. The two leaders took commemorative photos together and toured the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. President Xi was also reported to have had a conversation with President Trump's second son, Eric Trump.

The Temple of Heaven, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, represents the ancient Chinese culture of worship and sacrificial rites dedicated to heavenly deities. Its southern corners are square and its northern corners are round, embodying the ancient Chinese cosmological concept of "Tianyuan Difang"—heaven is round and earth is square. In anticipation of President Trump's visit, the Chinese authorities closed the Temple of Heaven Park to the public from the 12th to the 14th.

This marks the first visit by a U.S. president to the Temple of Heaven in 51 years, following President Gerald Ford in 1975. According to Xinhua News Agency, President Xi explained to President Trump, "In 2017, you toured the Forbidden City along Beijing's central axis," and added, "The Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City are from the same era, representing 'Tianyuan Difang,' which reflects the Chinese view of the universe and philosophy of life."

President Xi also stated, "Ancient Chinese rulers conducted rituals at the Temple of Heaven to pray for national prosperity, peace, and favorable weather." He further explained that the Communist Party of China has inherited and developed the people-centered philosophy of Chinese civilization, serving the people throughout its history.

President Trump remarked, "I still vividly remember my visit to the Forbidden City," and commented, "The Temple of Heaven is over 600 years old and still stands tall." He continued, "Both the United States and China are great nations, and both peoples are great," emphasizing, "The two countries must deepen mutual understanding," according to Xinhua News Agency.

This visit to the Temple of Heaven has also drawn comparisons to the royal treatment at the Forbidden City during President Trump's first visit to China in 2017. At that time, the Chinese government escorted President Trump and the First Lady directly to the Forbidden City, where they were personally welcomed by President Xi and his wife. The two couples toured the central buildings of the Forbidden City, walked the path of emperors together, attended a Peking opera performance, and dined together.

However, this visit to the Temple of Heaven reportedly concluded in about 30 minutes, a notable contrast to the half-day that President Trump and the First Lady spent at the Forbidden City in 2017. Saurabh Gupta of the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS), a U.S. think tank, noted that the brevity of this visit suggests it had the character of a conventional state visit.

On this day, the U.S. and Chinese leaders are scheduled to attend a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People. On the 15th, they will meet again at Zhongnanhai, the "heart of Chinese power," where President Xi's offices and residence, along with those of other Chinese leaders, are located. President Trump is expected to hold talks and a tea meeting with President Xi in the garden at Zhongnanhai, followed by a luncheon, before returning to the United States.

Zhongnanhai is rarely opened to foreign leaders. While China typically uses the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse for events involving visiting foreign dignitaries, President Xi invited President Trump to the highly secured Zhongnanhai on this occasion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.