j Confucius Institute - Budapest, Hungary

Confucius Institute - Budapest, Hungary

   1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/F., I.16.    Tel: (36)-(1)-411-6597

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The ELTE Confucius Institute Celebrated Its 20th Anniversary

2026. April 29.

The ELTE Confucius Institute held a ceremony on April 29, 2026, to mark its 20th anniversary. The event, held in the Aula Magna of ELTE’s Faculty of Law, brought together university leaders, diplomats, faculty members, and students to celebrate the institute, which was founded in 2006.



The ceremony opened with a spectacular lion dance performed by the Hungarian Lion Dance Association, followed by a welcome address by Lénárd Darázs, Rector of ELTE. In his speech, he praised the institute’s work in establishing university and institutional ties with China, which has not only greatly contributed to the growth of ELTE’s international standing but also to the promotion of Chinese culture in Hungary and across Europe.

Darázs Lénárd, az ELTE rektora


Gong Tao, China’s Ambassador to Hungary, emphasized the institute’s outstanding educational and cultural role since its founding in 2006, describing Hungary’s first Confucius Institute as a comprehensive platform for language education, cultural activities, academic research, and people-to-people exchange programs.

Gong Tao, China’s Ambassador to Hungary


Following this, Liu Xinlu, Vice President of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), conveyed the thoughts of Jia Wenjian, President of BFSU. In his speech, Professor Jia emphasized that the relationship between the two universities has become a prime example of Sino-Hungarian educational and cultural cooperation in recent years. Among the achievements of this successful collaboration, he highlighted the completion of the “Chinese-Hungarian” and “Hungarian-Chinese Dictionaries,” as well as the establishment of the Regional Teacher Training Center for Central and Eastern Europe.

Liu Xinlu, Vice President of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), conveyed the thoughts of Jia Wenjian, President of BFSU


Father Attila András, Provincial Superior of the Hungarian Jesuit Province, expressed his gratitude in his speech to the ELTE Confucius Institute and the Chinese language teachers for ensuring the long-standing provision of Chinese language instruction at the Fényi Gyula Jesuit High School in Miskolc. He emphasized that this not only creates an excellent opportunity for local youth to learn the Chinese language and become familiar with Chinese culture, but also contributes to broadening their international horizons and fostering an open and inclusive intercultural perspective.

Father Attila András, Provincial Superior of the Hungarian Jesuit Province


The series of speeches was concluded by Dr. Imre Hamar, director of the ELTE Confucius Institute and the university’s rector’s commissioner for Asian affairs, who recalled the key milestones of the institute’s twenty-year history. In his speech, he emphasized the institute’s pioneering role in introducing the Chinese language into Hungary’s public education system and presented the achievements with illustrative data: over the past twenty years, a total of 38,000 students have been trained, more than a thousand cultural events have been organized, the “Chinese-Hungarian” and “Hungarian-Chinese Dictionaries” have been completed, and the institute’s work has been recognized with numerous awards. Finally, he expressed his sincere gratitude to all the Chinese and Hungarian partners who have supported the development of the Confucius Institute over the past two decades.

Dr. Imre Hamar, director of the ELTE Confucius Institute and the university’s rector’s commissioner for Asian affairs


Following this, the audience was treated to a performance by the Beijing Foreign Studies University Art Troupe. The concert featured string chamber pieces, traditional and contemporary melodies performed on traditional Chinese instruments, and choral works. Finally, the evening concluded with a spectacular martial arts demonstration by the Hungarian Chan Wu Association, during which the audience saw Shaolin fist forms, modern wushu and tai chi, as well as weapon forms performed with the long staff, saber, straight sword, and fan.






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