The government has been doing preparations to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is arriving on Saturday for a two-day state visit. It will be the first visit by a Chinese president to Nepal in 23 years since Jiang Zemin visited in 1996. The preparations have been in full swing in Kathmandu over the week.

Portraits of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Xi have been installed on almost all street light poles while the roads Xi will be travelling have got a fresh coat of asphalt.

Streets have been decorated with different banners welcoming Xi.

At the invitation of President Bhandari, the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, is paying a state visit to Nepal on October 12 and 13, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

Here are some photos showing the preparations for Xi’s visit.