Queen Elizabeth II’s Historic Visit to China (1986) | Royal Specials

In October 1986, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh made a historic visit to the People’s Republic of China. Beginning the tour in the capital of Peking (Beijing), the Queen and the Duke were welcomed by presdient Li Xiannian and a parade on Tiananmen Square. Over the following days, the pair visited the Forbidden City in Beijing’s Dongcheng District and were treated to a banquet hosted by President Li. ITN’s cameras caught Queen Elizabeth II’s warm meeting with Deng Xiaoping, the country’s unofficial but undisputed leader credited with building modern China by reforming its society and opening up its economy. Visits to the Great Wall of China and the port city of Shanghai saw the Queen greeted by adoring crowds; in Shanghai the monarch visited the historic Huxinting Teahouse with Sir Geoffrey Howe. Later that day, the Queen and the Duke invited President Li and his wife onto the Royal Yacht Britannia for a banquet. During a particularly amusing photocall, the president’s wife told him to straighten his glasses before the Queen jokingly informed him that he was allowed to smile for the cameras. The archaeological wonder of the Terracotta Army in Shaanxi Province was of great interest to Prince Philip, and the Queen and Duke enjoyed a boat trip on Lake Dianchi before ending their trip in Canton. #QueenElizabethII #Queen #ElizabethII #QueenElizabeth #PrincePhilip #DukeOfEdinburgh #China #LiXiannian #Chinese #ChineseCulture #ChineseHistory #DengXiaoping #Beijing #Peking #TiananmenSquare #ForbiddenCity #TerracottaArmy #Shanghai #GreatWallOfChina #1980s #80s #1986 To license the footage featured in this clip, follow the link below: To search the ITN Archive collection on Getty Images, follow the link below: 🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel (tap the bell icon and stay up to date with all the latest ITN Archive videos!) - @ITNArchive 🎥 Follow us on Twitter - 🎥 Like us on Facebook - 🎥 Check out our TikTok - @itnarchive1955