( CNN ) -- When the man destined to become China 's next leader enters a circa 1866 Victorian house in Muscatine , Iowa , on Wednesday , things will feel familiar . It was here in the town 's historic district that Xi Jinping first feasted on Iowa beef and corn during a visit more than two decades ago . Wednesday , the menu is a tad more upscale -- tenderloin , spring rolls and bacon-wrapped scallops . And the excitement , decidedly more palpable . After all , back in 1985 , Xi was a provincial official from the hog-farming region of Hebei , Iowa 's `` sister state . '' He wanted to see how Americans raised their livestock and learn about different applications of corn , said Sarah Lande , owner of the Victorian and host of Xi 's visit . She would have been thrilled to have another Hebei province official visit quiet Muscatine . She 's honored and humbled that Xi chose to see his old friends again . In the United States for a five-day visit , Xi , who is widely expected to become the next Communist Party leader and president of Asia 's economic powerhouse , met Tuesday with President Barack Obama and other top U.S. officials in Washington . Obama and Xi discuss economics , human rights . But part of Wednesday is reserved for a private visit to this small eastern Iowa town known for farming , the largest Heinz plant outside of Pittsburgh and factories that used to spit out billions of mother-of-pearl buttons . That was before the refinement of plastic . Now with Xi 's visit , the global spotlight will shine on Muscatine , if only for an hour on Wednesday . The town has never seen so many security personnel . Nor have the high school boys swim champions had to share headlines before in the local newspaper . As Iowa Gov . Terry Branstad put it : This is the biggest thing to hit Muscatine since Pope John Paul II 's visit in 1979 . Chris Steinbach , editor of the Muscatine Journal , said he had received thousands of e-mails from journalists around the world who were curious about Xi 's visit . `` It 's obviously a pretty big deal , '' said Steinbach , `` You never know what will come as a result of this kitchen-table diplomacy . '' That kind of one-on-one relationship made an impression on Xi on his first trip to Iowa . `` When you get the opportunity to meet somebody in their home or in a private setting , you get to know them differently than at a state dinner , '' Steinbach said . `` Clearly that worked on Mr. Xi when he was here 27 years ago . '' Rewind to a time when Mikhail Gorbachev was ascending to the leadership of the Soviet Communist Party , Terry Anderson was taken hostage in Lebanon and Tiananmen Square was just another place in Beijing . Xi arrived in Muscatine for two weeks in April 1985 with a Chinese delegation looking into farming technology . Doyle Tubandt , president of Muscatine Foods Corp. , recalled how Xi discussed globalization , its scope then unimaginable to many Americans . `` Here we are 27 years later and it sure is , '' said Tubandt about the global economy . His own company now exports food and pet products to China . Back then , Tubandt escorted Xi on a tour of a corn processing plant . At times , the language barrier was hard to overcome . How do you translate words like centrifuge ? Tubandt gestured heavily and drew drawings in the sand to explain things to his Chinese visitor . He kept a tin of black tea that Xi presented to him as a memento of the visit . After all these years , the tin is preserved half full . For all the talk of trade between Washington and Beijing , in Muscatine it will all be very personal . `` He is coming only to visit old friends , '' Lande said . It has been a lot of work , a bit crazy for a one-hour visit , Lande said . But it 's worth it to have an old friend back . Both Lande and Tubandt have given thought to what they might say when they come face-to-face with China 's presumptive next president . `` It 's a bit daunting when I think about it , so I do n't try to think about it very much , '' Tubandt said . `` It 's telling to me that he 's coming here . He understands the importance of long-term friendships . '' Lande said she was n't nervous until she woke up Tuesday . `` What can you say when you have one minute to say it ? '' Lande said she will talk about building a bridge to friendship in the future , and hope that Iowa can set a global example . It 's not often Muscatine residents have a chance to do that .
Xi himself is scheduled to visit Muscatine , Iowa , on Sunday . Presumed to be China 's next president , Xi visited the town in 2008 as a provincial official . Sarah Lande will be host to Xi on this visit , part of his five - day U.S. tour . ` ` He is coming only to visit old friends , '' she says .