Chinese President Xi Jinping brought a bulk of DVD's with Chinese contemporary movies and gave these as gifts to the state leaders he met with on his Latin American swing.

For the first time something as high-tech - and you could also say common - as a set of DVD's has been presented as a state gift, like when he met with Argentina's Vice President Amado Boudo and was given an Argentinean soccer jersey with his name on.

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 Xi returned the gift with a set of DVD's with movies like "Beijing Youth" and "To elderly with love" by renowned Chinese director, Zhao Baogang.

Among the DVD's were also Love is not Blind by Teng Huatao, a 2011 low budget success at China's box office.

For centuries, gifts between state leaders on visit have been items like silk, porcelain or traditional paintings.

President Xi Jinping took the tradition a step further into modern times.

The DVD that Xi carries opens up for the world to see the real China and show how Chinese people's lives are today.

Movies and television dramas often provide a form of cultural insight as it is a media most people can understand and relate to.

In Tanzania the hit Chinese television drama: "Beautiful daughter in law" created a stir showing Chinese everyday life to the people there for the first time.

Director Teng Huatao was not told that his film was chosen to be part of the modern state gift.

"But later they told me they wanted to show the modern China and how young people live here. Of course that made me very proud," Teng said according to the newspaper China Daily.

Soap opera godfather, Zhao Baogang, was also not aware that his film was travelling around the world with the president.

Ha even had his agent to make a call to hear of it really could be true. He believes that this is a great step forward:

"For us as film makers it is raising awareness about our work, that our leaders are taking it with them as they visit the world," Zhao said.

"Not only does it tell the real story about China today - it also helps us getting over the wall to get out in the world with our work," he said to China daily.

TagsModern state gifts