Special article | President Xi Jinping and the "little envoy" of Hungary-China friendship Hungarian | Hu Lingyue | Xi Jinping

Budapest/Beijing, May 7th Special Article｜President Xi Jinping and the “Little Envoys” of Hungary-China Friendship

In Budapest, the capital of Hungary, not far from the sparkling Danube River, there is a Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school. In recent years, the school has become increasingly popular locally.

Saying "hello" in Chinese is the first lesson for children; many students can fluently recite poems by the Hungarian poet Petofi in Chinese; teachers will also introduce the children to Lu Xun, the great Chinese writer of the 20th century.

This school was established in 2004 and has played a unique role in promoting cultural exchanges between Hungary and China over the past 20 years. In 2009, the visit of a special guest brought the school closer to China.

This special guest was Xi Jinping, then Vice President of China. The visit left many warm moments in the memory of school principal Erdai Suzanne.

Erdaei said that when visiting schools, Xi Jinping always smiled and chatted with the children about poetry and nursery rhymes.

In order to welcome Xi Jinping, the students wrote a welcome message in Chinese on the blackboard: "Hello, Uncle Xi!" The children also sang Chinese songs and performed ballet and martial arts programs. Xi Jinping particularly praised the two students for reciting the Tang poems "Quiet Night Thoughts" and "Lovesickness".

Xi Jinping applauded the children's wonderful performance and expressed his appreciation for Hungarian culture and the traditional cultural exchanges between China and Hungary. He said that many Chinese people his age have watched the Hungarian movie "The Goose Herder". Xi Jinping said that Chinese classics such as "A Dream of Red Mansions" have been translated into Hungarian for a long time, and many Chinese also appreciate the "Hungarian Rhapsody" by the famous Hungarian musician Liszt.

Xi Jinping presented teaching materials and teaching equipment to the school. The students returned a handmade gift with a small red heart drawn on it and heart-warming blessings written next to it.

Erdaei said that President Xi Jinping has been paying attention to the development of the school for many years. "During his visit to the school in 2009, he provided many valuable suggestions to the school and expressed his message for the development of the school with the ancient Chinese saying 'it takes ten years to grow trees and a hundred years to cultivate people'."

She said: "Educating children is indeed such a process... Only when they become adults after many years of study can they truly realize the impact of schooling on their lives."

To commemorate that visit 15 years ago, the school always hangs photos of Xi Jinping with teachers and students on the wall of the hall. That visit sowed the seeds of friendship between Xi Jinping and teachers and students.

On the eve of the Spring Festival in 2023, two Hungarian students at the school, Volga Bonita and Imre Tamara, won scholarships from a Chinese university. They decided to write a letter to President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan on behalf of all students at their alma mater, expressing their gratitude and sending New Year blessings.

In the letter, they talked about their feelings about learning Chinese at school and expressed their desire to go to university in China and contribute to the friendship between Hungary and China.

Shortly after the letter was sent, they received a reply from President Xi Jinping. President Xi Jinping said in the letter that he still remembered the scene of communicating with teachers and students at the Hungarian-Chinese Bilingual School in 2009. He encouraged Hungarian teenagers to learn more about China and be envoys to inherit and develop the cause of China-Hungary friendship.

Xi Jinping welcomes students to study at universities in China after graduating from high school, and also hopes that more and more Hungarian teenagers will like and learn Chinese.

Erdaei said that President Xi Jinping's reply "was a big surprise for us" and that with his encouragement, many students hoped to "make their own contribution in the relations between the two countries."

Last fall, Hu Lingyue and Song Zhixiao came to Capital Normal University in Beijing to pursue their undergraduate studies, realizing their dream of studying in China.

Their life in Beijing is both interesting and challenging, and they encounter "cross-cultural experiences" almost every day. Taking food as an example, Chinese people eat rice, while Hungarians prefer potatoes and bread. But they also found that people in both countries like the home-cooked dish of "potato beef stew".

"I am willing to be an enthusiastic envoy of China-Hungary friendship." Hu Lingyue said at the opening ceremony of the 2023 freshmen. She hopes to become a Chinese teacher or translator after graduation.

Wang Yue, the Chinese principal of the Hungarian-Chinese Bilingual School, said that President Xi Jinping’s reply greatly aroused the enthusiasm of the students, who became more active in learning Chinese and hoped to further their studies in China.

Duronde Ernest Sandor, a 12th grade student at the school, has visited many Chinese cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing. In his view, as China's economy continues to develop, the importance of learning Chinese is increasing day by day. He plans to go to Beijing to study at university in the future.

Another student, Inges Dorina, is also fascinated by Chinese culture. She can play the traditional Chinese instrument guzheng and dance Chinese folk dances.

The school’s continued development is driven by Hungarians’ growing enthusiasm for Chinese language and culture. At first, most of the students at the school came from Chinese families working and living in Hungary. Today, the school has expanded to 12 grades and 20 classes, with more than 500 students, most of whom are Hungarian-speaking students.

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Medjesz Peter told reporters: "Bilingual schools go far beyond traditional economic cooperation relations. They provide opportunities for the people of the two countries to understand each other and encourage people to remain open, curious and knowledgeable in exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations. Objective mentality.”

Guo Jiaming, who once served as the Chinese principal of the school, said in a recent interview with reporters that the development of the school reflects the good momentum of the development of Sino-Hungarian relations and the increasing exchanges between the two peoples.

Currently, 5 Confucius Institutes have been opened in Hungary, and Chinese has been included in the Hungarian national education system and has become a subject for the college entrance examination. 12 universities in China offer Hungarian language majors. The cultural centers established by both sides are also important platforms for cultural exchange activities.

Erdei said: "In the relationship between the two countries, it is crucial to have talents who can speak both languages ​​fluently." She hopes that cross-cultural exchanges between Hungary and China will become more colorful and promote understanding and friendship between the two peoples. .