Hungarian Students Wind Up China Trip

The students and their ten chaperones spent time in Beijing, Chongqing, Harbin and Shanghai, learning about Chinese language, culture and everyday life.

 

Members of the group are between the ages of 14 and 18 and come from secondary schools in cities all around Hungary. All have an interest in China and many are studying Chinese, such as at the ELTE Trefort Ágoston School in Budapest.

 

Myrtill Lenkefi, who teaches at the ELTE Trefort Ágoston School, said the students had learnt first hand about a country and lifestyle that is very different from their own, ?overcoming several prejudices? in the process.

 

During a visit to the Hungarian consulate, the students asked questions about China?s one-child policy, the situation of women in the country and the pension system, said consul general Miklós Németh.

 

ELTE Confucius Institute director Imre Hamar said the visit had been an excellent opportunity to foster inter-cultural dialogue. He noted that more and more secondary schools in Hungary are starting Chinese language instruction and the number of students participating in Chinese courses is set to rise from 1,200 to 1,500 next year.

 

The Hungarian group came to China at the invitation of Premier Wen Jiabao as reciprocation for assistance Hungary gave the country after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Hungary invited 50 children from the area after the disaster which took more than 70,000 lives.

 

Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)