US President Donald Trump spent the final morning of his China visit inside Zhongnanhai, the heavily guarded compound that serves as the political heart of China’s Communist Party leadership.
Alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump walked through the compound’s carefully maintained gardens, stopping to admire blooming roses as Xi offered to send him seeds. The two leaders later sat down for tea and lunch before continuing their discussions.
Often compared to the White House or the Kremlin, Zhongnanhai is one of the most secretive locations in China. Hidden behind centuries-old red walls beside Beijing’s Forbidden City, the compound is rarely seen by outsiders, and only a small number of US presidents have ever been invited inside.
Security around the complex is extraordinarily tight. Access is controlled by a special military unit tasked with protecting China’s top leadership, while images and maps of the area are heavily restricted online.
Why Xi Invited Trump To The Secret Garden
Xi drew attention to the significance of the venue during Friday’s meeting, explaining that he chose Zhongnanhai as a gesture of reciprocity after Trump hosted him at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2017, during their first meeting after Trump entered office.
Zhongnanhai, named after two lakes located within the compound, is not only a workplace but also the residence of China’s senior leadership.
Zhongnanhai “is the place where leaders of the (communist) party and the central government of China work and live, including myself,” Xi told Trump, according to a report by CNN.
“After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, we (the communist party) have been here, including Chinese leaders: Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and so on,” he added.
Zhongnanhai Was An Imperial Garden For Chinese Emperors
Long before it became the centre of Communist Party power, Zhongnanhai served as an imperial garden where Chinese emperors relaxed away from the Forbidden City.
During the tour, Xi proudly pointed out several ancient trees inside the compound, including one that he said was nearly 490 years old.
“In other places within this compound, there are trees that have lived to be over 1,000 years old,” Xi told Trump.
At one point, Xi even encouraged Trump to touch the trees as he spoke about the history and longevity of the gardens.
Trump appeared impressed by the surroundings. “Nice place. I like it. I could get used to this,” he remarked during the stroll.
Following the fall of China’s imperial system in 1912, Zhongnanhai was transformed into a presidential residence. After the Communist Party took power following the civil war, Mao Zedong established it as the centre of China’s political leadership.
Over the decades, the compound has been expanded and modernised with offices, residences and recreational facilities, while still preserving many of its historic temples, pavilions and gardens. Spread across nearly 1,500 acres, Zhongnanhai today remains a symbol of China’s political elite.
Several American presidents have previously visited the compound. Richard Nixon met Mao Zedong there during his landmark 1972 visit to China – the first by a sitting US president. George W. Bush later entered Zhongnanhai with then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin, while Barack Obama met Xi there in 2014, when the two leaders reportedly discussed Chinese history and US-China ties.