Cosmic order, political authority: the messaging in temple setting for Trump’s China visit
Beijing urges US president ‘to hold the line on peaceful coexistence’ as it prepares to host him at heritage site
As Trump prepares for his visit to China from Wednesday to Friday – the first by an American president in almost nine years – all eyes will not only be on the summit agenda, but also on the carefully choreographed details surrounding the reception, including sites featured in the itinerary.
The focus is expected to fall on the Temple of Heaven Unesco World Heritage site, a centuries-old imperial complex associated with ritual, cosmic order and political authority.
Kelly said Xi and Trump would meet again on Friday for tea and a working lunch.
The Temple of Heaven, or Tiantan Park, is a religious complex dating to the 15th century, symbolising the relationship between earth and heaven, a concept central to traditional Chinese cosmology.
It was used by emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties as a sacred site to offer sacrifices to heaven and pray for a good harvest, while reinforcing the emperor’s role as an intermediary between heavenly order and earthly governance.