China welcomes G20 leaders with banquet, gala

Chinese President Xi Jinpingaddresses a banquet for the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, Sept. 4, 2016. Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet for guests attending the 11th G20 summit in Hangzhou on Sunday evening. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

HANGZHOU, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- In the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, leaders and other guests from the Group of 20 (G20) major economies were welcomed with a banquet and an evening gala.

On Sunday evening, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted a grand banquet for those attending the 11th G20 summit in Hangzhou.

Before the banquet, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan greeted the honored guests at the entry of a hotel by the side of the West Lake.

Leaders and their families, including U.S. President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putinand German Chancellor Angela Merkel, came to shake hands with the Xi couple.

While proposing a toast at the banquet, Xi assimilated the G20 platform to a bridge of friendship, cooperation and the future.

"We have come here for a common obligation to build an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive world economy as well as lead a new round of robust economic growth," Xi said.

After the banquet, the guests enjoyed a feast of classic Chinese music, folk dance, traditional songs and ballet performance -- a blend of East and West cultures.

The performance, directed by famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou, was staged with the glowing West Lake in the background. Through a remarkable feat of engineering, the platform was centimeters below the surface of the lake and the performers seemed to be treading the water.