Russian President Vladimir Putin, currently on a visit to China, has presented the Chinese leader with an unexpected and quite original present - a real Russian steam bath house.

Axar.az informs citing TASS.

The exchange of gifts took place on Friday evening.

"Yes, this is so," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, when asked if it was true Putin had selected a wooden bath house as a gift.

"The Chinese side will select a place and our specialists will assemble it there," Peskov said.

The bath house is made of 200-year-old Siberian cedar logs from Altai. During the exchange of gifts the Chinese leader was shown the steam bath house’s design sketch and a slice of the log.

Before the visit Putin preferred to kept quiet about what kind of present to Xi he would take to China.

Interviewed by the China Media Group ahead of the visit, Putin avoided disclosing the secret.

"What kind of a surprise will it be if I disclose in advance what I will give the Chinese leader as a gift? May it remain a secret between you and me. I’ll whisper it in your ear in an interview," Putin said in reply to the journalist’s question.

Asked why Putin in 2016 presented Xi with a large box of ice-cream Putin said: "Xi had mentioned to me once that he likes Russian ice-cream, so I brought him some as a present."

"We do exchange some trifles from time to time," he added.