When Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday evening for a two-day state visit, he once again returned to his “second home” at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, a royal garden that has hosted heavyweights including Richard Nixon, Boris Yeltsin and Kim Jong-un.

Diaoyutai is a familiar setting for Putin who has visited China more than 20 times and personally met President Xi Jinping on more than 40 occasions since 2013, according to state news agency Xinhua. He usually resides in Villa 18, the most prestigious of its buildings.

Diaoyutai was once a key arena for US-China relations. It was here, in Villa 5, that then secretary of state Henry Kissinger stayed during his 1971 secret mission to bridge the gap between the two countries.

Then-president Nixon followed the next year, famously practising his “chopstick skills” for six months before his arrival to impress his hosts at the Diaoyutai banquet table. He was also accommodated at Villa 18.

The last American president to stay at Diaoyutai was Bill Clinton during his 1998 trip to China, but the guesthouse has also served as the location for meetings with Barack Obama and George W. Bush during their presidencies.

President Donald Trump last week stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel, which opened in 2012 and is just 700 metres (less than half a mile) from the American embassy. During his 2017 visit, he stayed at the St Regis Beijing, which opened in 1997.

Located within the tranquil Diaoyutai Scenic Area in the capital’s western suburbs, the 420,000 square metre guesthouse takes its name from the Jin dynasty, when Emperor Zhangzong built a pavilion for fishing.