BEIJING, Feb. 8 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing Saturday evening after attending the opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games in the Russian resort city of Sochi.

It was the first time a Chinese head of state attended an opening ceremony of a major sports event held overseas.

During Xi's stay in Sochi, he met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and held bilateral talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Czech President Milos Zeman, Greek President Karolos Papoulias and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

He attended a reception held by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and met with the Chinese delegation to the Winter Olympic Games.

He also gave an interview to a Russian TV channel in Sochi on Friday on topics including the Sochi Olympics, China-Russia ties, China's reform and development, and his governing philosophy.

Xi's stay in Russia from Feb. 6 to Feb. 8 and his attendance at the games' opening ceremony is his first foreign trip of 2014.