Modes of travel and travelling accessories used by monarchs past and present
Ron Bell (1931-2001)
The Queen inspecting the Terracotta Warriors at Xian 16 Oct 1986
RCIN 2007000
State Visits traditionally incorporate visits to sites with particular historic or political significance for the host country. In 1986 The Queen became the first reigning British monarch to visit China when she made a State Visit there with The Duke of Edinburgh. The itinerary included a stop at the Great Wall of China and a State Banquet, at which The Queen wore a pink silk evening dress embroidered with sprays of Tree Peony blossoms, the national flower of China. This photograph records The Queen's visit to Xian, where she saw thousands of the 'terracotta warriors', which had been buried with China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di, in the third century AD.
A State Visit to the United Kingdom was recently made by the Chinese president Mr Xi Jinping, in October 2015.
