Szeged hosted the annual board meeting of the Confucius Institute of the University of Szeged, which was attended by leaders and representatives of the University of Szeged (SZTE) and the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) on October 30, 2023. This was the first time since the end of the pandemic that the meeting could take place in person.
SZTE and SISU have been cooperating successfully since 2012, the biggest result of which was the creation of the SZTE Confucius Institute. At the annual board meeting, the members evaluated the previous year and defined future goals. In addition, the new members of the board, Dr. Judit Fendler, Chancellor of the University of Szeged, and Dr. Tamás Bene, Director of International and Public Relations of the University of Szeged, introduced themselves.
The leaders of SZTE expressed their hope for further successful cooperation, emphasizing that they are open to strengthening and broadening Chinese relations and welcoming Chinese students, and they continue to count on SISU's support and help in this matter.
The five-member Chinese delegation then met with the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of SZTE and held a professional discussion. Then the leaders of the Shanghai International Studies University and the leaders of the University of Szeged participated in the opening of the exhibition "Connected Hearts: Celebrating Ten Years of the New Silk Roads" in the Móra Ferenc Museum. Director Ottó Fogas emphasized that in the museum, this year is about China. A world-famous material arrived from Shanghai, which presents the world of ancient China, the museum also presents terracotta warriors, and the relics of the Hungarian Franciscan mission in China are on display at the Black House. The exhibition that has just opened is about the current relations between Hungary and China. At the exhibition opening, Mr. Yi Yonggang, vice chancellor of SISU, highlighted the importance of political, infrastructural, commercial, and civil relations between Shanghai and Szeged. The pictures in the exhibit show the successful cooperation between the two countries in recent years. Click here to view a gallery of photos made at the exhibition opening at the Móra Ferenc Museum in Szeged.
The University of Szeged has a great responsibility in bringing the cultures of geographically distant people closer to each other, said Prof. Dr. Márta Széll, strategic vice-chancellor of SZTE. SZTE, in close cooperation with the Confucius Institute, has undertaken Chinese language education and the dissemination of Chinese culture in the Southern Great Plain Region of Hungary. The vice-rector expressed her hope that in 10 years, at the opening of a similar photo exhibition, three or four rooms will no longer be enough to document the colorful programs of the ten years ahead.
Written by: Tamara Pósa, Imre Vida-Szűcs. Translated by Szegedify. Photos: István Sahin-Tóth & Anna Bobko
