9:00am - Shanghai
The president and Mrs. Nixon leave Guam International Airport for Shanghai, their first stop in the People's Republic of China. They arrive, after a four-hour flight, at Hung Chiao (Rainbow Bridge) Airport, where they are greeted by officials of the People's Republic. After a tour of the terminal, the presidential party again boards the Spirit of '76 for the final leg of the flight to Beijing.

11:30am - Capital Airport
The presidential party arrives at Capital Airport near Beijing. Premier Chou En-lai greeted the president and members of his party, stands with the president for the playing of the national anthems of the two countries, and accompanied the president in a review of the troops.

Early Afternoon - Angling Terrace/Diaoyutai State Guesthouse
The premier accompanies the president in a motorcade to Beijing, to Diaoyutai (Angling Terrace), the guesthouse where the president and Mrs. Nixon will stay during their visit.

Afternoon - Imperial City
The president meets for an hour with Chairman Mao Tse-tung at the chairman's residence and for an hour with Premier Chou and other officials in at the Great Hall of the People.

Evening - Great Hall of the People
The president and Mrs. Nixon are guests of Premier Chou at a banquet in the Great Hall of the People.

 

Morning - Peking Hotel
The first lady visits the kitchen of the Peking Hotel, where she tours food preparation and cooking areas and talks with cooks and helpers. She is accompanied by Mme. Lin Chia-mei, wife of Vice Premier Li Hsiennien, Mme. Chi P'eng-fei, wife of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Sun Hsin-mang, head of the revolutionary committee of the hotel.

Afternoon- Great Hall
After a morning of staff meetings and attention to other White House business, the president meets for four hours with Premier Chou in the Great Hall of the People.

Afternoon- Summer Palace
Mrs. Nixon visits the Summer Palace, an imperial residence and garden during the Ching Dynasty. She tours the rooms used by the Empress Tzu Hsi and walks in the gardens, viewing the lake Kun Ming and Longevity Hill. She then leaves for the Peking Zoo.

Evening - Great Hall
The president and first lady attend a cultural program with Premier and Madame Chou and Chiang Ch'ing, the wife of Chairman Mao Tse-tung. They then view a performance of the ballet, "The Red Detachment of Women," at the Great Hall.

 

Wednesday, February 23

Afternoon - Angling Terrace
The president and Premier Chou meet in the afternoon for four hours of discussions at the Diaoyutai Guesthouse, where the president is staying.

Evening - Capital Gymnasium
With Premier Chou En-lai, the president and Mrs. Nixon attend a public exhibition of gymnastics, badminton, and table tennis at the Capital Gymnasium.

 
Thursday, February 24

Morning - Great Wall at Badaling
The president and Mrs. Nixon, accompanied by Vice Premier Li Hsien-nien, drive 35 miles north of Beijing to visit the Badaling portion of the Great Wall of China, and then the tombs of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty.

Afternoon & Evening - Great Hall
The president and Premier Chou meet again for three hours of discussion. The president and Mrs. Nixon later attend an informal private dinner hosted by Premier Chou in the Great Hall.

 

Friday, February 25

Morning - Forbidden City
The president and Mrs. Nixon visit the Forbidden City, the site in Beijing of the residence of the emperors for some 800 years prior to the early 20th century. They are accompanied by Marshal Yeh Chien-ying, Vice Chairman of the Military Affairs Commission.

In the afternoon, the President meets again with Premier Chou for an hour.

Afternoon - Peking Children's Hospital
The first lady tours the Peking Children's Hospital.

Evening - Great Hall
Marking the final evening of their Beijing, stay, the president and the first lady host a banquet honoring Premier Chou and other Chinese officials in the Great Hall.

Saturday, February 26

Morning - Capital Airport
At the Capital Airport, the president, Premier Chou, and other officials of the United States and the People's Republic meet for approximately one hour. The president and the first lady, with Premier Chou, then board the Premier's plane for the flight to Hangchow.

Afternoon and Evening - Hangchow
The president and Mrs. Nixon are driven to a guest house on West Lake, a park and recreational site, where they will spend the night. In the afternoon they take a walking tour of Flower Fort Park and a boat tour of West Lake. In the evening they attend a banquet given by the Chekiang Province Revolutionary Committee.

 

Sunday, February 27

Morning & Afternoon - Hangchow
With Premier Chou, the president and the first lady fly in the premier's plane from Hangzhou Airport to Shanghai. In Shanghai they visit the Shanghai Industrial Exhibition, where, with Premier Chou, they tour exhibits of heavy machinery and electronic equipment, handicrafts, surgical techniques, textiles, light industry, musical instruments, toys, and arts and crafts.

Late Afternoon - Shanghai
A joint communiqué, agreed upon by the president and Premier Chou, is released.

Evening - Shanghai
The president and first lady are guests at a banquet in the Shanghai Exhibition Hall hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Revolutionary Committee. Premier Chou and Committee Chairman Chang Ch'un-ch'iao then accompany the president and Mrs. Nixon to a cultural program of acrobatics.

 

Monday, February 28

Shanghai
Premier Chou visits with the president for an hour at the Ching Kiang guest house and then accompanies the presidential party to the airport for official farewells before the takeoff for the return flight. Crossing the International Date Line, the Spirit of '76 arrives at Anchorage, Alaska, at midnight on Sunday, February 27, Alaska time.