Peng Liyuan's European journey bridges cultures

Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, concluded her visit to Hungary alongside Xi on Friday, marking the end of their six-day tour in Europe. Throughout their journey, Peng engaged in a series of cultural exchanges and diplomatic engagements aimed at fostering mutual understanding between China and the countries they visited.

During her stay in Hungary, Peng Liyuan explored various cultural landmarks, including Buda Castle, and a Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school in Budapest.

During her visit to Buda Castle, Peng enjoyed tea with Zsuzsanna Nagy, wife of Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok. They admired exquisite Hungarian Herend porcelain and traditional embroidery craftsmanship, symbols deeply rooted in both the Chinese and Hungarian civilizations.

Peng expressed her hope that artists from both countries would strengthen exchanges and mutual learning and promote cultural integration.

The two first ladies listened to a briefing on the restoration of the Szent Istvan Hall of Buda Castle. Appreciating the exquisite restoration skills of Hungarian experts, Peng raised her hope that the two sides would strengthen cooperation in the protection and restoration of cultural relics, so that historical legacies could be better passed on.

During her friendly and cordial chat over tea with Nagy, Peng Liyuan said that Hungary is a beautiful country and that its people are hospitable. She added that there are many similarities between the cultures of China and Hungary, and that the two peoples share a deep sense of affinity.

In Hungary, Peng Liyuan also visited the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school in Budapest, accompanied by Aniko Levai, wife of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Peng and Levai observed classes on Chinese language and traditional Chinese culture such as paper cutting and calligraphy and had cordial exchanges with the students. Peng said that the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school is a symbol of the friendship between China and Hungary, and that she is glad to see that the students speak Chinese very well.

She expressed hope that the students would work hard to learn the Chinese language and Chinese culture, have the opportunity to visit or study in China, and actively contribute to the inheritance and promotion of the China-Hungary friendship.

In France, Peng visited the Orsay Museum with Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, where they admired the "Paris 1874 Inventing Impressionism" exhibition and the museum's masterpiece oil paintings.

Noting that both the Chinese and French people love paintings very much, Peng expressed her hope that the two sides would carry out more exchanges so that the two peoples could feel the charm of each other's cultures and deepen mutual understanding.

Peng hoped that artists of the two countries would strengthen exchanges and mutual learning, and inspire each other to create more exquisite works of art.

During her journey in Serbia, Peng Liyuan toured the National Museum of Serbia with Tamara Vucic, wife of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

The two first ladies toured the museum's painting exhibition together. Peng remarked that the museum boasts a long history and abundant collections, noting that the classic paintings exhibited there feature delicate brushstrokes and rich emotions.

Peng emphasized that museums serve not only as windows for preserving and displaying cultural relics but also as halls for promoting civilization. She also expressed hope for enhanced cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Serbia to build bridges for dialogue between civilizations.

(With input from Xinhua)