In pics: State Banquet at Buckingham Palace

At the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II, Chinese president Xi Jinping began the state visit to the U.K. on Oct. 19. President ‎Xi Jinping‬ and his wife Peng Liyuan attend the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on Oct. 20.

State banquets are the highest-level banquet and demonstrate the status of a country. Buckingham Palace only receives two high-profile state visits ever year. The banquet hall which covers 600 square meters is on the second floor of the palace and is the largest room in the palace.

The hall has been the place for dancing parties and also for holding state banquets to entertain foreign heads of state. The splendid and magnificent hall has a large table in the middle and two huge oil paintings hung on the wall.

It usually takes 10 days to prepare a state banquet since the preparation is a very complicated process. Queen Elizabeth II has held more than 100 state banquets. A state banquet often uses 170 tables and 1,104 glasses.

Royal chef Mark Flanagan and his team are responsible for the banquet. Flanagan has served as the royal chef for the queen since 2002 and has been responsible for the dinner or lunch of big events. The state banquet often consists of four dishes including appetizer, main course, desserts and fruits.