bái gōng白宫guó yàn国宴zhōng中de的zhōng měi中美jiāo liú交流
A White House state dinner is an important event in which the U.S. president welcomes foreign leaders.
In 1979, soon after China and the United States established diplomatic relations, U.S. President Carter held a state dinner for visiting Deng Xiaoping and his wife, Zhuo Lin. The dishes included roast veal shank, seafood rolls, rice, salad, and a chestnut dessert.
Later, Chinese leaders such as Zhao Ziyang, Li Xiannian, Jiang Zemin, Zhu Rongji, and Hu Jintao also received formal receptions when they visited the United States.
In 1997, the state dinner attended by Jiang Zemin featured lobster, beef, and panda-shaped desserts.
In 2011, Obama held a state dinner for Hu Jintao. The menu included lobster, steak, apple pie, and ice cream.
In 2015, Xi Jinping attended a White House state dinner for the first time as China’s president. The dishes included mushroom soup, lobster, lamb, and a lychee frozen dessert.
When he later returned to the White House for another state dinner, the hosts used local American ingredients to create dishes with Chinese flavors, such as pumpkin soup, sesame sea bass, and honey ice cream.
These state dinners are not just meals shared together; they also show the importance both countries place on visiting guests.