Manchester hopes president's visit will bring benefits

As President Xi Jinping spent a day at Manchester on Friday, anticipation and excitement in the city grew as to what may come after his visit. Although a cradle of the Industrial Revolution, the northern hub, which vies with Birmingham to be the UK's second city, is best known now for its soccer clubs - and one of them, Manchester City, hosted Xi.

The cotton mills are now part of Manchester's past, and although the city was for a long time the biggest financial center after London, it has been transformed over the past decade.

The BBC's move to Media City at Salford Quays beginning in 2007 created the foundation for a significant digital and creative industries sector.