Centuries-old trees dominated the conversation in Beijing’s former imperial garden Zhongnanhai, where Trump and Xi strolled in the concluding hours of summit The age of the trees and who else has seen them — these were two questions US President Donald Trump asked, as his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping took him to the walled-off Zhongnanhai compound, a secret garden that houses key government offices.Trump Reacts To Zhongnanhai Tour: ‘Nice Place, I Like This Place’ | #shortsCenturies-old trees dominated the conversation — or at least the parts caught on a hot mic — in Beijing’s former imperial garden where Trump and Xi strolled in the concluding hours of their summit.The garden now houses the offices of the ruling Communist Party and the state council, or China's cabinet. It is adjacent to the capital's famed landmark of the Forbidden City and just off Tiananmen Square."Let me tell you, all the trees on this side are over 200 to 300 years old," Xi said through an interpreter, as he gestured towards some towering trunks. “Over there, there are some more than 400 years old.”Trump asked in reply, “They live that long?”Xi then added, "There are also 1,000-year-old trees in other places (in the garden)."Trump also sought to know if other foreign leaders had been received in the secret compound."Very rarely," Xi responded, “We usually didn’t hold diplomatic events here. Even after we started having some, it’s still extremely rare.”He added, "For example, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has been here."Barack Obama is another US President who's been hosted here, 12 years ago, by Xi. That did not come up, nor did the fact that President George W Bush was also Xi's guest in the compund in 2008.Xi then invited Trump to touch a 280-year-old tree. “Good. I like it,” Trump said.President Donald Trump talks with China's President Xi Jinping at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing on Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo)Promise of rosesThe two leaders spent about 10 minutes walking the gardens, shortly before Trump took the Air Force One back to America.“These are the most beautiful roses anyone has ever seen,” Trump remarked. Xi said he would send rose seeds to Trump — a pointed gesture, given that Trump tore up the White House Rose Garden last year to make room for a patio reminiscent of his private resort Mar-a-Lago, and has since said he would like more roses there.The moment offered another glimpse into informal interactions between heads of states. In September 2025, a hot mic captured Xi and Putin discussing organ transplants and the possibility that humans could live to the age of 150, as they walked towards Tiananmen Square to watch Beijing's military parade, news agency Reuters noted.What's so special about Zhongnanhai?A garden that once was used by the royal family of China, "Zhongnanhai is where the CPC Central Committee and the State Council work, and it is also where I work and live," Xi told Trump.“After the founding of New China, Chinese leaders including Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and others all lived here,” he reportedly added.The name means “middle and southern seas”.The place is often compared to the US President's White House, Russia's Kremlin, or South Korea's Blue House. But unlike those places, Zhongnanhai does not typically serve as a venue for diplomatic visits. China's top leaders reserve it for only their closest allies and carefully selected dignitaries.Vladimir Putin, whom Xi has called his closest friend, was received at Zhongnanhai at least twice, in 2024 and 2025. Xi also welcomed former US President Barack Obama to Zhongnanhai in 2014, when the two took an evening stroll and had dinner.For Trump, Xi has said he chose the venue as a reciprocal gesture of thanks for when Trump hosted him in Florida.The walled gardens feature winding paths, roses in pink, yellow and red, manicured lawns, and carefully tended trees, with one of its lakes dating to the 12th century.When Zhongnanhai was an enclosed imperial garden, Empress Dowager Cixi staged a coup against her nephew, Emperor Guangxu, imprisoning him on Yingtai, an artificial island inside Zhongnanhai, NYT noted in a report. The coup destroyed his efforts to transition the Qing dynasty to a constitutional monarchy and hastened the dynasty’s collapse. Mao Zedong and other Communist leaders chose it for their residences and main offices after founding the People’s Republic of China in 1949.In 1972, Mao invited US President Richard Nixon to his residence inside the compound. That visit ended a quarter-century diplomatic freeze between their nations and resulted in the establishment of formal relations in 1979.Trump poses for a picture with Xi Jinping during a visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on Friday, May 15, 2026. (Evan Vucci/Pool Photo via AP)Trump's visit concludesTrump, who arrived in Beijing to a ceremonial welcome with an honour guard and children waving Chinese and American flags, sat with Xi for the main summit at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday.On Friday, May 15, Trump arrived at Zhongnanhai just before 11 am.local time for a tea ceremony, working lunch, and the garden stroll. He then departed for Washington.Trump said Xi agreed to order 200 Boeing aircraft. An agreement for China to purchase "double-digit billions" of dollars in US agricultural products is also expected, according to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.Trump also claimed Xi agreed not to send military equipment to Iran, calling it “a big statement”.Xi, however, noted China buys significant amounts of Iranian oil and would like to continue doing so. Xi also offered to help ensure navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.Xi placed Taiwan at the centre of talks, calling it "the most important issue" between the two countries, and warned that differences over it could lead to conflict between the two powers.See Less