President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet well-wishers at the Daci'en Temple in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, on Thursday. [Photo by FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY]

Our relations have developed steadily, Xi says as he hosts premier at banquet in hometown

Visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoyed a festive day in Xi'an on Thursday, with President Xi Jinping accompanying him as people cheered the two leaders wherever they went.

"This is the first time I have received a foreign leader in my hometown," the president told Modi at the start of their meeting. It is also very rare for China's top leaders to accompany foreign guests outside the capital.

"I hope you have a great time here," Xi said. The president's family comes from Shaanxi province, and during Xi's visit to India in September, Modi took the Chinese president to his home state of Gujarat.

Modi visited the Terracotta Warriors and two famous temples in the province's capital that played significant roles in the spread of Buddhism from India to China.

The city held a ceremony for Modi based on the royal welcoming events of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), and Xi then hosted a banquet for him in a building on the ancient city wall.

The BBC noted that the day's events were very different from the way China normally receives foreign leaders.

"The Terracotta Army is a heritage of the world. It is a testimony to China's civilizational achievements," Modi wrote in the visitors book at the site, adding that he was "deeply impressed" by the way the warriors had been preserved.

As Modi was being driven along a busy street, he saw crowds of people who were hoping to see him. He asked the driver to stop and left the car to greet them and shake hands, and they responded by waving and calling out his name.

"I know him, he is the Indian prime minister," said a passer-by surnamed Wang, who is in his 60s. "I have never seen such a scene."

The friendly welcome reflected the improving relationship between the countries, once marred by border disputes, a lack of trust and other issues.