Prince William embarks on cultural tour of China

Britain's Prince William (1st R) visits the Shijia Hutong Museum in Beijing, capital of China, March 2, 2015. [Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai]

The final stop of his trip is Xishuangbanna in Southwest China's Yunnan province where he will visit an elephant rehabilitation center and a nature reserve. According to Buckingham Palace, the prince will participate in a campaign calling for the protection of wildlife and the banning of illegal trade in wildlife.

In recent years, with the popularity of British TV series like Sherlock Holmes and Downton Abbey, millions of Chinese have been captivated by British culture and the number of Chinese travelers to the UK is on the rise.

Due to China’s rising influence, the British have also come to better understand Chinese traditions and culture. During the Spring Festival, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall paid a visit to Chinatown in London, addressing a New Year speech to overseas Chinese, and over 200 guests were invited to the residence of the Prime Minister to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Ahead of the visit to China, Prince William released a video message to send his good wishes for Chinese New Year in mandarin: "Zhu ni men chun jie kuai le, yang nian da ji (I wish you a happy Chinese New Year and good luck in the Year of the Sheep)." The video became a hit overnight, and received thousands of likes on Sina Weibo (The Chinese Twitter-like service).