Xi Jinping and Donald Trump Visit Temple of Heaven in Beijing During Two-Day Summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump visited the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on Thursday, May 14, 2026, with Xi greeting Trump outside the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests before the leaders posed for a photo and toured the complex.

“In pictures: Trump hosted by Xi Jinping in Beijing on two-day summit Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have been holding talks in the Chinese capital, Beijing, with a raft of meetings and events taking place on Thursday and Friday”

BBC

CGTN said Xi explained that in ancient times state rituals were held at the Temple of Heaven where rulers prayed for national prosperity, social harmony, and favorable weather for good harvests, and Xi added, "It reflects the traditional Chinese concept that the people are the foundation of a state and only when the foundation is solid will the state be stable,".

BBC

The BBC described the same visit as part of a two-day summit in Beijing, noting Trump was welcomed with a gun salute and later toured the "15th Century Temple of Heaven" during the Thursday and Friday meetings.

CNA said the venue choice carried layered diplomatic messages, describing the Temple of Heaven complex as a 270-hectare site dating back more than 600 years where Ming and Qing emperors prayed for good harvests.

China Daily similarly reported that Xi told Trump about ancient state rituals at the Temple of Heaven and that Trump said he was impressed by the "more than 600-year-old Temple of Heaven."

CNA reported that analysts said Beijing used Trump’s Temple of Heaven visit on Thursday (May 14) to send messages tied to "good harvest" hopes in US-China trade, while also pointing to symbolism around peace, prosperity, and political legitimacy.

CNA quoted Wang Di, an author and chair professor of history at the University of Macau, saying, "Different people may interpret it differently," and added that such symbolic ambiguity may allow Beijing to project multiple messages at once.

CGTN

The BBC described the summit setting in Beijing as Trump held talks with Xi in the Great Hall of the People and then visited the Temple of Heaven, with Trump saying, "Great place, incredible," as the two presidents posed for a photo at the Temple of Heaven.

El Mundo described the Temple of Heaven as the place where emperors performed sacrifices at winter solstice and said that on Thursday Xi and Trump walked toward the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests after more than two hours of meetings in the Great Hall of the People.

El Mundo also recounted an on-the-day moment when a journalist shouted in English a question about Taiwan to Trump, and it said Trump avoided answering and continued walking beside Xi amid camera flashes.

CNA said the Temple of Heaven visit came as tensions still remained high between Washington and Beijing over tariffs, trade, technology restrictions and Taiwan, with those issues expected to feature prominently during the Trump-Xi meetings.

“Xi, Trump visit Temple of Heaven BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump visited the Temple of Heaven on Thursday in Beijing”

China Daily

CNA quoted Victor Gao, chair professor at Soochow University in Suzhou and vice president of the Centre for China and Globalisation, saying, "We hope for peace, and we hope for shared development,".

CNA also quoted Sun Chenghao, senior fellow and head of the US-EU programme at Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy, saying the visit conveyed "a message of civilisation and history" and that Chinese emperors once visited the Temple of Heaven to pray for abundant harvests.

CGTN reported that during the visit Xi told Trump that the Communist Party of China had inherited and carried forward a "people-centered" philosophy rooted in Chinese civilization, and Xi said the Party had earned the firm support of the Chinese people.

The BBC closed its account of the Temple of Heaven stop by quoting Trump’s assessment of the day as, "Great. A magnificent place. Incredible. China is beautiful."