Peng Liyuan stresses importance of cultural exchanges on Europe trip

In Serbia and Hungary, Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, stressed the importance of cultural exchange and education cooperation in promoting people-to-people bonds as she visited museums and schools.

Building bridges for dialogue among civilizations

On Wednesday, Peng was at the National Museum of Serbia, where she emphasized that museums serve not only as windows for preserving and displaying cultural relics but also as halls for promoting civilization.

She expressed hope that cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Serbia would be enhanced to build bridges for dialogue among civilizations.

To promote cultural exchanges, the China Cultural Center in Belgrade, jointly built by China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the provincial government of Shandong, opened to the public recently. The center covers an area of 6,000 square meters and offers classes on Chinese language, traditional Chinese musical instruments, Chinese calligraphy and tai chi.

Promoting education cooperation

During her visit to the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school in Budapest on Thursday afternoon, Peng said she hoped the students would continue to work hard to learn the Chinese language and Chinese culture, have the opportunity to visit or study in China, and contribute to the inheritance and promotion of the China-Hungary friendship.

Accompanied by Aniko Levai, Hungary's first lady, Peng watched classes on Chinese language and traditional Chinese culture such as paper cutting and calligraphy, and spoke with the students.

Established in 2004, the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school is a 12-year all-through public school that teaches in both Chinese and Hungarian. The school has played a unique role in promoting cultural exchanges between China and Hungary over the past two decades. 

The Chinese language has been incorporated into Hungary's national education system and has become one of the subjects in the university entrance examination. The cultural centers set up by both sides are also an important platform for cultural exchanges.

"It is important to the relations of the two countries to have people who speak both languages well," said Zsuzsanna Erdelyi, principal of the school, expressing her hope to see more intercultural exchanges to promote understanding and friendship between the two peoples.