BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Prince William arrived in Beijing on Sunday evening for his first-ever visit to China.

The four-day tour will also take the Duke of Cambridge to Shanghai and southwestern Yunnan Province. He will attend a series of cultural and public welfare activities there.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in last week that China hopes the prince's visit will help advance Britain's understanding of China, deepen the friendship between the two peoples and boost China-Britain ties.

The prince was invited by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs. His wife Catherine, who is expecting their second child, is not accompanying him.

Prior to his China trip, the prince visited Japan.