Beijing

Capital of the People’s Republic of China Beijing / Stage two of state visit to China (April 28-29 2010)

Wednesday April 28. After Xi’an, Carla and Nicolas Sarkozy arrive in Beijing late afternoon. The French flag flies over Tiananmen Square. A ceremony awaits at the Great Hall of the People, where the Sarkozys are welcomed by the Chinese president Hu Jintao. “This is my first time in China. It is dazzling,” says Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Just before the state dinner hosted by the Chinese president, she has the chance to hear two of her own songs from her 2002 debut album performed by the band of the Chinese army. After Bingmayong and Hanyangling at Xi’an, a visit to a private section of the Great Wall of China as well as the Ming tombs and the Forbidden City are the main cultural items on their Beijing schedule.