Xi Jinping; From the son of an angry leader to the most powerful man in China

Sean Yuan and Jack Law

When Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on Wednesday, it will be his first official visit to the United States in 11 years.

But his first encounter with America happened long before he became the most powerful Chinese leader in recent generations.

Four decades ago, Xi was a county official from northern China who went on a research trip to the American Midwest.