The bust of the poet, who is well known in China, was made by the Hungarian sculptor Gábor Szabó. It was erected in a park named after the 20th century Chinese writer Lu Xun, who "discovered" Petőfi. The park is visited by some 40,000 people every day.
At the inauguration ceremony, Chinese secondary school students recited in chorus a poem by Petőfi entitled Liberty, Love. The title of the poem is also that of the Hungarian Cultural Season in China, which kicked off on Sunday.
The Hungarian musicians Bea Palya and Balázs Szokolay gave a short performance at the inauguration of the bust.
The first statue of Petőfi in China was erected in Beijing by former prime minister Péter Medgyessy in 2003.
Sándor Petőfi (1823-1849) was the spiritual leader of the group of radicals who wanted independence from Habsurg rule. He wrote some of Hungary's greatest national poetry, including the National Song, which every Hungarian schoolchild still learns today. In Liberty, Love, Petőfi wrote:
Liberty, Love
These two things I require
For love I sacrifice life
For Freedom I sacrifice my love
