Modi arrives in China

Xi’an, May 14:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reached the Chinese city of Xi’an on the first leg of his three-nation tour that will see him visiting China, Mongolia and South Korea.

The Prime Minister was accorded with traditional welcome upon his arrival.

“Not an ordinary city. Not an ordinary welcome. Prime minister being greeted at Xi’an airport,” Vikas Swarup, spokerperson of the ministry of external affairs tweeted along with a picture of Modi.

Xi’an is the hometown of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Indian Prime Minister later visited the Terracota Warriors Museum at Xi’an that houses neat rows of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.

The museum has a collection of over 8,000 life-size clay warriors.

Modi, attired in a white kurta-churidar with a colourful shawl draped around his shoulder, went around the museum and listened attentively to the guide.

Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi province and the hometown of President Xi Jinping.

Modi and Xi are to scheduled to hold their summit meeting later.

Xi’an is also associated with Chinese traveller and famous Buddhist scholar Xuan Zang or Hieun Tsang who travelled extensively in India in 629 to 645 AD. (IANS)