
First Lady Melania Trump admired China from a rare position on Friday as she walked an empty section of the Great Wall along the outskirts of Beijing during a personal tour.

Wearing a long, tan skirt, black jacket and ballet flats, the 47-year-old former model took a cable car up to her destination, where she was greeted at the wall by an official with the Mutianyu Great Wall Travel Service Co.

Mrs. Trump signed a guest book at the wall and accepted a scroll as a gift during the private tour.

She then climbed a flight of stairs and spent 30 minutes walking the Mutianyu section of the long wall - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

As she returned to her cable car, Mrs. Trump paused to look out over the expanse.

'This is beautiful. This is amazing,' she said according to a US official standing with her on the platform.

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First Lady Melania Trump visits the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China, in Beijing, on Friday after visiting the Beijing Zoo

After taking a cable car up to her destination, she was greeted at the wall by officials with the Mutianyu Great Wall Travel Service Co. Mrs Trump signed a guest book at the wall and was presented with a scroll as a gift

Meanwhile her husband boarded the plane to Vietnam without his wife, as she had more plans in China

China frequently takes visiting heads of state and their spouses to the wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, though President Donald Trump did not visit during his trip to the country

Mrs Trump's trip to the Great Wall comes after a visit to the Beijing Zoo where she interacted with a panda named Gu Gu behind the scenes before greeting a group of young school children

An official who was on the wall with Melania said that the First Lady found the wall incredible and said 'This is beautiful. This is amazing'

Wearing a long skirt, black jacket and ballet flats, the first lady climbed a flight of stairs and spent about 30 minutes walking along the 5,500mile-long wall, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The section of the wall Melania visited - the Mutianyu section, is in Huairou County, approximately 40 miles north east of central Beijing

Playing a prominent supporting role on the president's multi-leg Asia visit, she won praise on Chinese social media, with comparisons to China's glamorous first lady, Peng Liyuan

The Mutianyu section of the wall is connected with Jiankou in the west and Lianhuachi in the east. The area one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall

The Mutianyu section of the wall was built in the mid-sixth century, making it older than the Badaling section of the Great Wall. It was built mainly with grainite, at 22 to 27 feet high, and 13 to 16 feet wide

Perk of the job: Melania chats with a tour guide as she is treated to a private walkabout on the Great Wall of China; Former First Lady Michelle Obama brought daughters Sasha and Malia to the same section of the wall in 2014

China frequently takes visiting heads of state and their spouses to the wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site now believed to be more than 13,000 miles in length, although President Donald Trump did not visit during his trip to the country.

Former first lady Michelle Obama brought daughters Sasha and Malia to the same section of the wall in 2014.

Mrs. Trump's trip to the Great Wall followed a visit to the Beijing Zoo, where she interacted with a panda named Gu Gu behind the scenes before greeting a group of about 20 young school children.

The children, who held Chinese and American flags, were waiting for her outside of the zoo's Panda House.

As they stood in the cold November weather, a male panda named 'Meng'er' was released into the pen behind them. His name translates to cute #2, an official said.

U.S. first lady Melania Trump poses for photos with children in front of a panda section as she visits Beijing Zoo

All smiles: Melani passed out stuffed eagles to the children and took a group photo with them before moving on

A group of school children holding Chinese and American flags were waiting to greet her outside. They showed Meng'er off to her

Melania Trump rewarded singing children with plush bald eagle toys. The youngsters were all smiles for the First Lady

She clapped and sang as a group of about a dozen flag-waving children sang to her in Mandarin and English

One set of children presented the panda to the first lady when she approached.

She briefly stopped to talk to them and observe the giant panda, which is native to central China, eating bamboo before she walked over to the next group.

The first lady clapped and smiled as the flag-waving children sang to her in Mandarin and English. Mrs. Trump rewarded them with plush bald eagles.

She posed for a group photo with the children before moving inside to the Panda House gift shop.

'Thank you very much,' she said told the children before she left.

Inside, she posed for another photo with a stuffed panda toy.

'Thank you very much,' she said again, turning to sign a panda print that said: 'Thank you to the Beijing Zoo! Wonderful to meet Gu Gu!'

Reporters did not get to see the first lady meet Gu Gu, another panda at the zoo.

FLOTUS passed out stuffed eagles to the children and took a group photo with them before moving on

Gather round: The chic First Lady flashed a smile as excited schoolchildren gathered round her to pose for photos

Hit with the kids: Children gathered around the First Lady waving Chinese and American flags

Melania listens to Chinese children singing a song during a visit to Beijing Zoo. She looked chic, draping a black coat on her shoulders

Melania posed for photos with a Panda soft toy after visiting the Panda enclosure at the Beijing Zoo

Melania signed a poster saying 'thank you to the Beijing Zoo. Wonderful to meet Gu Gu'. Gu Gu is one of the pandas

Zoo director Li Xiaoguang met Melania at the zoo and gave her tour before she came outside to see the children.

He also offered her a stuffed panda toy as a gift, a readout said.

She fed Gu Gu, the 'star panda' of the zoo, and received an explanation of his nutrition and training.

Born on Sept. 25, 1999 in Wolong, China, the readout described him as a 'pretty male panda' and a 'goodwill ambassador of the zoo.' He arrived at the Beijing Zoo in 2004.

'Gu Gu is a good-looking panda with a robust memory. He is excellent in his behavior training and eager to show his skills to VIPs,' Li said.

President Trump shared his wife's big day plans on Twitter as he departed for Vietnam.

He said she would be traveling to Alaska after the Asia trip 'to greet our AMAZING troops.'

U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China

The winds appeared brisk as he climbed the steps to enter the plane

Trump left the First Lady in China where she went to visit the zoo and see the Great Wall of China

After going to Vietnam, Trump is off to the Philippines

The president's wife is also making a quintessential tourist stop at the Great Wall (pictured) – one of the Seven Wonders of the World – before she leaves China

Three giant panda bears are currently on loan to the national zoo in Washington, D.C., where Mrs. Trump now lives, per an agreement between the U.S. and China that extends through the end of 2020. They include Bei Bei, a panda cub born in 2015 and named by the previous first lady in consultation with her Chinese counterpart.

The tradition of panda giving between the United States and China dates back to 1972, after first lady Patricia Nixon mentioned her appreciation for giant pandas during a trip to Beijing with her husband, former President Richard Nixon.

As with previous first ladies, Melania Trump has used her platform to champion public causes, such as the prevention of childhood bullying and combating the opioid epidemic in the United States, and strengthen people-to-people ties between the U.S. and its allies.

Playing a prominent supporting role on the president's multi-leg Asia visit, she won praise on Chinese social media, with comparisons to China's glamorous first lady, Peng Liyuan, and comments on her apparent ease in navigating the ancient cobblestones of the Forbidden City in super-high stilettos upon arrival in Beijing on Wednesday.

Melania and Peng Liyuan enjoyed a visit to a Banchang Primary School in Beijing on Thursday, where they received a calligraphy lesson.

Despite being dressed in a custom Dolce & Gabbana gown, thought to have cost at least $3,975, the first lady happily took up a paintbrush and ink under the watchful eye of the young students at the school.

Accompanied by Peng, Mrs. Trump watched a cultural performance and participated in a cooking class at a primary school on Thursday, too.

The US First Lady Melania Trump, in what's likely to be a custom Dolce & Gabbana gown, stands alongside the wife of China's president in Beijing

Mrs Trump even tried her hand at painting as she joined in with a calligraphy class

Both women looked delighted to be in the company of the young students at Banchang Primary School, where they were treated to a cultural performance

Both Melania and Madame Peng were photographed smiling and clapping after the show, surrounded by a gang of beaming schoolchildren.

Many on China's Twitter-like Weibo applauded Melania's grace and sense of style, as well as her cultural sensitivity.

In China, she wore mostly austere coats and dark gowns from Dolce & Gabbana and Alexander McQueen, in contrast with her magenta Delpozo outfit and electric-blue heels upon landing in South Korea days before.

But most in China said they remained bigger fans of their own first lady, often affectionately referred to online as Peng Mama, which roughly translates as Mother Peng.

'I still think Mama oozes more grace, while also exuding a motherly air!' one Weibo poster said.

Chinese social media sites are policed more heavily than normal during important political events, with negative or sensitive matter swiftly blocked or removed by internet censors.

China's First Lady Peng Liyuan gave her US counterpart Melania Trump a tour of a primary school in Beijing on Thursday

Both women appeared to be in great spirits as they admired students handiwork at the school

A young schoolboy proudly shows off his efforts to the Chinese and US First Ladies in a calligraphy class

Melania, who teamed her Dolce dress with her trademark bouncy blow-out, shook hands with young students during the visit to the school

Melania Trump dazzled in a floor-length dress at an official welcome ceremony at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Thursday morning.

The gown featured an intricate pink floral design on the black dress - a nod, perhaps - to her hosts' cultural heritage.

The welcome ceremony overlooked Tiananmen Square. The grand event was broadcast live on state television, an almost unprecedented gesture for a visiting leader, which underlines the importance China has placed on the Trumps' first official visit.

Trumpets blared and a military band played the U.S. and Chinese national anthems as a ceremonial cannon fired shots in Tiananmen Square.

The first couple had previously met President Xi and Madame Peng during the Chinese president's visit to the U.S. in April when President Donald Trump invited them to a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Presidents Trump and Xi participated in several hours of official talks on Thursday and and delivered a joint press statement.

Lending a hand: Mrs Trump helps a young school girl who is adding decoration to a dress

The First Lady also watched over young students taking part in a cookery class at the school

The two women also looked in on an architecture class at the school on Thursday

Both women smiled and clapped along with the primary school students in Beijing after they were treated to a cultural performance by children in costume

Madame Peng wore a smart black coat and heels, while Melania went all out in floor-length Dolce & Gabbana

Melania Trump (left and right) donned a stunning Chinese-inspired gown as she met with President Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuana on day five of her and Donald's Asia tour

The First Lady stepped out in a custom floor-length Dolce and Gabbana dress for the official welcome ceremony at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Thursday

A state dinner followed, where President Trump showed off a video of his six-year-old granddaughter Arabella Kushner singing in Mandarin.

Melania and Donald arrived in China on Wednesday, the third country on the president's 12 day-Asian tour. They sped through Beijing to the Forbidden City, where they reunited with China's Xi an Peng over tea.

They led the Trumps to the Conservation Scientific Laboratory of the Forbidden City to participate in an artifact restoration.

The two first couples next watched a performance of Peking opera, a distinctively Chinese art form that combines music, mime, dance and acrobatics.

President Trump left South Korea on Wednesday after delivering a speech to the country's National Assembly. He's giving a speech at an economic summit in Vietnam on Friday.

China's First Lady Peng Liyuan and US First Lady Melania Trump attend a fashion class during a visit at Banchang Primary School in Beijing

Eager children raise their hands during an architecture class during Melania Trump's visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping and wife Madame Peng Liyuan rolled out the red carpet for Donald and Melania Trump on Thursday morning in an official welcome ceremony at Beijing's Great Hall of the People

Melania stepped out in her Italian-made, Chinese-inspired dress for the welcome ceremony which was broadcast live on state television, an almost unprecedented for a visiting leader