US First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters are greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan in Beijing on Friday. Photo: AFP

Michelle Obama, her daughters, her mother Marian Robinson and Peng Liyuan pose for photographers as they visit the Forbidden City on Friday. Photo: AFP

Peng Liyuan shows Michelle Obama how to hold a writing brush as they visit a calligraphy class in Beijing on Friday. Photo: AFP

 

US First Lady Michelle Obama, accompanied by her Chinese counterpart Peng Liyuan, toured a high school and the Forbidden City in Beijing on Friday as part of her week-long visit, which is expected to focus on education and culture.

Obama, who travelled with her mother and two daughters, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday evening.

Xi told Obama that he cherished the working relationship and personal friendship that has been established with her husband, and that he was looking forward to seeing US President Barack Obama in the Hague.

Xi is scheduled to begin bilateral talks with President Obama in the Hague on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit next week.

Earlier on Friday, the two first ladies spent an hour at the Second High School Attached to Beijing Normal University, attending three lectures, including robotics and calligraphy.

"The US First Lady was friendly all the time," said Shen Jinghong, Party secretary of the school.

In the calligraphy class, Peng wrote four Chinese characters, "hou de zai wu," meaning "great virtues promote growth," while Obama wrote "yong," meaning "eternal."

Shen said the school had invited 33 foreign students to attend the classes with Peng and Obama.

"Obama is promoting educational exchanges between China and the US, encouraging more US students to study in China and learn more about this rising world power," Chris Heselton, a history teacher from the US who is currently teaching at the school, told the Global Times.

Video footage released by Phoenix TV showed Peng quoting a Chinese saying, which said that she and Obama felt like old friends at their first meeting.

Obama said the relationship between the two countries could not be more important and that her trip will be an unique experience she will never forget.

The school presented fans to Peng, Obama and her mother and two teddy bears wearing the school's uniform to Obama's two daughters. 

The two first ladies also toured through the Forbidden City late on Friday morning.

Peng took care to ensure that Obama's daughters understood the history of buildings with names like "Hall of Supreme Harmony" and "Palace of Heavenly Purity," Reuters quoted an American official as saying. 

China News Agency reported that Peng stressed the importance of harmony in Chinese culture by quoting a traditional proverb: "Harmony in families brings prosperity." It was reported that Obama nodded in agreement.

According to Chinese news outlet youth.cn, the Forbidden City did not restrict visitors from entering the Palace Museum. 

Obama's week-long trip also includes visits to the historic city of Xi'an and Southwest China's Chengdu, where she will visit a panda reserve. She will give a speech on Saturday at Peking University and visit the Great Wall on Sunday.

Li Haidong, an associate professor with the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that the image of Peng, who has her own charisma and grace, is an important component of China's national image and soft power.

"Such diplomacy also plays a role in domestic political communication, improving the central government's image in most Chinese people's minds," Li said. 

Chinese social media on Friday covered the two first ladies' trip extensively as Chinese Net users discussed Peng's speech and fashion style. 

Agencies contributed to this story