A while ago I heard on the radio that the Swedish Ambassador to The People's Republic of China has confirmed that the King and Queen will pay a visit to the country in July. The Swedish Consulate General in Guangzhou has also confirmed it. (The dates are not official yet, the dates in the title is my guess out of the information I've heard and read of activities so far.)
The welcoming ceremonies will take place in Guangzhou/Canton, as the King and Queen will arive to the city on the andaman ship Götheborg that is scheduled to be in China for some time this summer. After that, the King and Queen will visit Beijing were President Hu Jintao will receive them.
Their Majesties will be accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and President of the United Nations General Assembly, Jan Eliasson.
PS. Since there's been no announcement from the Government Offices so far, we don't know many details yet...
A press release from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs yesterday confirms the dates to be 17-22 July.
The King and Queen will be onboard the East Indiaman ship Götheborg when it arrives in Guangzhou/Canton on 18 July.
The King and Queen will visit Beijing 19-20 July, where they will be received by the President of The People's Republic of China. They will also meet with the Mayor of Beijing, visit the Olympic village, and open Ericsson's new office in the capital.
In Beijing, the Royal Couple will be accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jan Eliasson, and Under-Secretary of State, Lars-Olof Lindgren. Accompanying the King and Queen will also be a business delegation of 20-something companies, led by the Chairman of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, Michael Treschow.
On 21 July, the King and Queen return to Guangzhou/Canton to attend the large welcoming arrangements planned for when the ship Götheborg will arrive in the central parts of the city, they will sail on a large Chinese djonk built especially to receive the East Indiaman at sea.
The King and Queen will be onboard the East Indiaman ship Götheborg when it arrives in Guangzhou/Canton on 18 July.
The east-indiaman ship Gotheburg has arrived in Guangzhou.
Gotheburg docked at Nansha Harbour in Guangzhou.
but so far, i've not seen the King & Queen.. maybe sometime soon. :)
You can see pictures from the Gotheburg's arrival here
Swedish sailing ship to arrive in China on July 17
BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The replica of the legendary 18th Century Swedish merchant ship "Gotheborg" is due to arrive in South China's Guangdong Province on July 17 to coincide with the arrival of Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf in China. The Gotheborg symbolized 260 years of friendly relations between Sweden and China, and would promote exchanges between the two countries, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu Tuesday.
(...)
King Carl XVI Gustaf will pay a state visit to China from July 17 to 22, at the invitation of the Chinese President Hu Jintao.
In the hours of the early morning, Swedish time, the East Indiaman ship Götheborg arrived in Guangzhou/Canton, broadcasted directly by the national Chinese television channel CCTV and Swedish TV4.
On board was the King and Queen, the Foreign Minister of The People's Republic of China, Li Zhaoxing, the Mayor of Guangzhou/Canton, Zhang Guangning, Swedish Vice Prime Minister, Bosse Ringholm (temporarily replacing the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jan Eliasson, who is at home to deal with the Lebanon crisis, but hopes to join in later), Under-Secretary of State, Lars-Olof Lindgren, the Ambassador of Sweden to The People's Republic of China, Börje Ljunggren, and the Swedish Consul-General to Guangzhou/Canton, Ulf Sörmark. On board were also a big host of other Swedish politicians, businessmen and sponsors from both countries.
A welcoming ceremony was held in the Nansha harbor. After that the city of Guangzhou/Canton held a luncheon, and then the King and Queen were to uncover a monument in the Huangpu (Whampoa) Historic Port. After that they sailed to the Southern Sea Temple in Huangpu via boat. A welcoming dinner is to be hosted by the city of Guangzhou/Canton and the province of Canton this evening.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, the King and Queen arrive in Beijing where they will stay 19-20 July. On the programme there is a meeting with the President of The People's Republic of China, a performance of Peking opera, a meeting with the Mayor of Beijing, a visit to the Olympic village and opening Ericsson's new Asia headquarters. The Queen will also visit a place with AIDS and HIV struck children. In the evening the King and Queen will attend a reception for the Swedish community in China at the Swedish Embassy.
On Friday, the King and Queen will go back to Guangzhou/Canton as they board "Götheborg" to sail to the harbour Tou Zui. In the evening a dinner will be hosted by Their Majesties.
Saturday's programme consists of seminars and business contacts with Swedish and Chinese companies.
First picture, by Jonas Ekströmer/Scanpix via Expressen.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia are greeted by an official on arrival at Guangzhou harbour on board the Gotheborg, a full size replica of one of the ships that sailed in the 18th century between the Swedish city of Gothenburg and Guangzhou, 18 July 2006, in southern China's Guangdong province. The King and Queen will arrive in Beijing the following day to meet with top Chinese leaders
Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia stand on the replica of the Swedish merchant ship, Goteborg, docked at Nansha harbour in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province July 18, 2006. Goteborg will stay in Guangzhou from July 18 to August 19, 2006, attending a month-long series of activities that cover areas of culture, economic, trade and tourism, China Daily reported.
So happy to see them come to the province where I live.I have saw King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia on TV tonight.They look good.
The blue dress suits the queen very much,she is beautiful.
I love the Queen's outfit, it's one of her best. The blue suits her so well, and she's always so elegant in how she combines jewellery to go with the outfits. The hat is also fabulous! And now, two more pictures from the arrival!
GUANGZHOU, CHINA - JULY 18: (CHINA OUT) Swedish King Carl Gustaf XVI and Queen Silvia visit the replica ship Goteborg on July 18, 2006, in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province China. Goteborg will be staying in Guangzhou until August 19, attending a month-long series of activities that cover areas of culture, economic, trade and tourism.
Queen Silvia of Sweden and King Carl Gustav of Sweden attend a welcoming ceremony at Nansha Ferry Terminal on July 18, 2006 in Guangzhou, Guangdong province of China.
I love the Queen's outfit, it's one of her best. The blue suits her so well, and she's always so elegant in how she combines jewellery to go with the outfits. The hat is also fabulous! And now, two more pictures from the arrival
I have to agree, I think it is nice that Silvia always dresses for her position as Queen and not as an executive, wether she is at home or abroad. She also always takes extra care of the details, like the smal anchor brooch she is wearing at the ship. To me she is the best dressed of the Queen consorts, she knows what suits her, its never hip, flashy, modern or "look at me" but relativly timelsess, which is why she can still wear her dresses from the 80s and 90s and not look too dated (which cannot be said for Norwegian counterpart forinstance )
__________________ "Those who do not like you fall into two categories, the stupid and the envious" -The Libertine
I have to agree, I think it is nice that Silvia always dresses for her position as Queen and not as an executive, wether she is at home or abroad. She also always takes extra care of the details, like the smal anchor brooch she is wearing at the ship. To me she is the best dressed of the Queen consorts, she knows what suits her, its never hip, flashy, modern or "look at me" but relativly timelsess, which is why she can still wear her dresses from the 80s and 90s and not look too dated (which cannot be said for Norwegian counterpart forinstance )
I have to agree as well Silvia has indeed perfected the Queen consort style...well in fact she had a very good hand for it from the very beginning as Queen.
The only thing, which is sometimes "brrrr", is the clothes she chooses for semi private/semi official functions. But her costumes for highly official functions and her gala dresses are mostly 1A.
I remember reading right after Carl Gustaf and Silvia's engagement that someone in his "inner circle" said she was not queen material. How wrong that person was. In the future someone will take her place as the elegant and perfect Queen consort - who may it be?
Thanks to everyone who posted, great pics from the King and Queen's arrival in Kanton!
I couldn't agree more with fellow posters: Queen Silvia always gets it right on official occasions, creating the best Queen Consort image of them all, never outdated fashionwise but never straight-from-the-runway either. She even seems to have gone shopping lately in order not to rival Queen Sonja as Queen Of Recycle... It's also fun to see the King going from grumpy to jovial and back on these pics - he usually does!
I really hope to see more soon. There are several dinners scheduled though I don't hold high hopes for a glittering tiara & decorations gala. :( Since the Royal Couple visit a republic, I'd say evening engagements are likely going to be somewhat subdued as they were on the recent state visit to Turkey as well.
Today Tuesday, the King and Queen arrived in Beijing where they will stay until tomorrow. The Mayor of Beijing held a welcoming luncheon, and after that they visited the city planning museum and the new "Capital Museum".
In the afternoon the Ambassador of Sweden to The People's Republic of China held a reception at the Swedish Embassy, and the King and Queen attended it to meet with the Swedish community of China.
The evening was concluded with a Gala evening at the Peking Opera, after which the King presented them with a photography of his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf together with the big star Mei Lafang, taken when he visited the Peking Opera in 1926.
At the arrival yesterday, Aftonbladet reports that the King and Queen received black silk clothes as a present from their hosts.
Picture by Jonas Ekström/Scanpix via the Royal Court.
From the "gala" at the theatre, the King looks like he lost a bet:o
scanpix picture
the King looks hilarious at that picture! Queen Silvia looks stunning, but i´m still hoping we get to see atleast one gala with orders and tiaras (atleast one of the smaller ones)
China's President Hu Jintao (L) escorts Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf (C) as they review troops at a welcome ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing 20 July 2006
)
Silvia has indeed perfected the Queen consort style...well in fact she had a very good hand for it from the very beginning as Queen. 
the King looks hilarious at that picture! Queen Silvia looks stunning, but i´m still hoping we get to see atleast one gala with orders and tiaras (atleast one of the smaller ones)
Linear Mode
