The visit came as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Peng made an official state visit to Washington in their first White House visit in more than a decade.
First Lady Melania Trump and Madame Peng Liyuan visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art on Thursday, touring works that reflect centuries of artistic achievement and cultural exchange between the United States and Asia.
The visit came as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Peng made an official state visit to Washington in their first White House visit in more than a decade.
According to the White House, Trump and Peng were welcomed by museum leaders before viewing the Peacock Room, an immersive 19th-century work by American artist James McNeill Whistler. The room, decorated in blue, green and gold and influenced by Chinese porcelain and Japanese design, has been a centerpiece of the museum’s collection since 1923.
The two also viewed an 18th-century Chinese porcelain vase from the Qianlong period. The piece, produced in Jingdezhen during the Qing dynasty, features floral designs made with famille rose enamels, gold and iron-red accents.
Jan Stuart, the museum’s curator of Chinese art, and Chase Robinson, director of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, guided the visit.
The tour concluded with a performance by the Hope Chinese School youth choir, which sang “Jasmine Flower” and “Songs & Smiles” for the first lady and Peng.
The White House said the visit highlighted Sino-American artwork, cultural heritage and the role of young people in carrying artistic traditions forward.
