Fostering enthusiasm

Erdelyi said Xi's reply had boosted the enthusiasm of students to learn the Chinese language and its culture.

Xi's letter was officially presented at the school on Feb 24, 2023, by Yang Chao, then-charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Hungary.

Adam Stifter, deputy state secretary for the development of eastern relations at Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, attended the event.

He described it as one of the best examples of cultural and educational cooperation between Hungary and China.

He said that by learning the history and culture of the Chinese language, the students' knowledge will be enriched, contributing to the development of relations between the two countries.

Xi's letter has been exhibited in a meeting room of the bilingual school, while a group photo of Xi with the students during his 2009 visit hangs on a wall in the school's hallway.

It is the only full-time school in central and eastern Europe where students are taught in Chinese and the local language. Unlike other schools, students at the bilingual school are required to study three languages — Hungarian, Chinese and English.

"With their language advantage, our students can become better education and culture envoys," Erdelyi said, adding that learning Chinese means the students can help develop Chinese-Hungarian friendship.

She admitted learning Chinese was difficult for many students, especially writing the Chinese characters. If they persevere, they can master the language, she said.

"It will take time, patience and perseverance," she said.

"If they can master such a difficult language, then there is no other language they cannot master."

Erdelyi believes the increase in the number of Chinese investors in Hungary will provide her students with job opportunities since many Chinese-funded companies want to hire professionals who are familiar with the language.

"Our school is likely to become a 'reserve force' for those Chinese companies," she said.

Chen Yue, head of iFlytek Europe, a leading AI company in China, echoed her views.

The company has donated iFlytek dictionary pens to the school to help the students and is also providing full scholarships to students to study at the Anhui Institute of Information Technology based in Wuhu, Anhui province.

The company's European head office is based in Hungary, "so we want to contribute to our company's long-term future here as well as in the artificial intelligence sector in China and Hungary", he said.

"We also want to contribute to the friendship between Chinese and Hungarian people and to promote people-to-people exchanges," he said, adding that the bilingual school is a good choice for the company's full scholarship program.

Ferenczi Samuel, a 12th grader who has been granted iFlytek's full scholarship to study at the Anhui college, said he was excited to study in China.