Who of the World Leaders Have Visited the Great Wall?

Drawn by the extraordinary defense work and grand scenery along mountain ranges, some 400 international leaders have journeyed to the Great Wall of China up to now.
 

Kliment Voroshilov in 1957

The first distinguished leader from abroad that the Great Wall received was President Voroshilov, the former President of the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium. On May 25th, 1957, he visited the Badaling section of the wall and gave it high praises. Since then, visiting foreign dignitaries have travelled to the wall as a matter of course.
 

Richard Milhous Nixon in 1972

During February 21st to 28th, 1972, the presiding U.S President Nixon visited China to establish formal diplomatic between the two countries. On his last day in Beijing, he mounted the Badaling section to view the representative Chinese historical site. Impressed by the perfect construction of the military work, President Nixon commented that only a great people could have accomplished it. The American magazine TIME then published the photo of Nixon at the wall on its cover.
The Badaling Great Wall
The Badaling Great Wall
 

Ronald Wilson Reagan in 1984

In 1984, U.S President Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy also came to the Great Wall. After the visit, President Reagan said that the real thing with the backdrop of rolling hills far exceeded his expectations drummed up by writings and pictures of the wall beforehand. He then associated what he saw at the Great Wall with China as a country both impressive and profound.
 

Elizabeth II in 1986

Later in 1986, Queen Elizabeth II of the U.K hiked on the Great Wall with her husband Prince Philip.
 

Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin in 1992

In 1992, former President of Russia Yeltsin visited Badaling with his wife.

George Walker Bush in 2002

In 2002, the then-president George Walker Bush of the U.S reached the wall for a second time. He left his blessings on future relationship between China and the U.S. And he also noted that though the Great Wall does not change much, China makes strides far beyond all expectations.
 

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin in 2002

In the same year of 2002, Putin, the president of Russia, visited the wall to fulfill an earlier wish. It was his second time to China but the first time at the wall. Impressed by the sight, he felt gratified that he had finally made it there.
 

Barack Hussein Obama in 2009

In 2009, U.S President Barack Obama climbed the wall, and became the 460th foreign head of state to visit the wall. He expressed his wish for a second visit together with his family, showing fondness to the attraction.

In addition to the leaders mentioned above, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher of the UK, President Mandela of South Africa, Emperor Akihito of Japan, and a lot of foreign celebrities from various fields have mounted the Great Wall to enjoy the grand construction on the spot. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, once posted photos of him hiking on the wall and running in front of Tiananmen Square to share his pleasant time in Beijing travel. The Great Wall visit is a once in one’s lifetime opportunity. Don’t hesitate to book your trip and leave your mark there.

List of leaders who have visited the Great Wall in the past 15 years

 
Year Leader Great Wall Section
January 12, 2025 Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell of Grenada Badaling
June 29, 2024 President Dina Boluarte of Peru Badaling
June 29, 2024 President Dina Boluarte of Peru Badaling
November 20, 2023 President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou of Uruguay Badaling
October 19, 2023 Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar of Pakistan Badaling
November 17, 2017 Former President Juan Carlos Varela Rodríguez of Panama Badaling
June 11, 2017 Former Prime Minister Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg Mutianyu
March 26, 2017 Former Prime Minister Prachanda of Nepal Badaling
September 1, 2016 Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada Badaling
July 3, 2016 Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece Badaling
June 23, 2015 King Philippe Leopold Louis Marie of Belgium Badaling
February 19, 2014 Former President Mamnoon Hussain of Pakistan Badaling
December 8, 2014 Former Irish President Michael D. Higgins Badaling
December 22, 2011 Former Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski Badaling
September 16, 2011 Guinean President Alpha Condé Badaling
November 10, 2010 Former British Prime Minister David William Donald Cameron Juyongguan
 

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- Last updated on Aug. 08, 2025 by Sherry Xia -