On November 8, BUCT Confucius Institute at Miskolci Egyetem in Hungary held an award & opening ceremony of a painting competition and exhibition themed "Year of the Dragon" for primary and secondary school students at the Concert Hall in Miskolc. Participating in the event were Béla Varga, Vice President of BorsodChem, Wanhua, Pál Csontos, Hungarian Dean of the Confucius Institute at Debreceni Egyetem, Cui Xianjun, Chinese Dean of the Confucius Institute at Debreceni Egyetem, Dr. Daniel Kuttor, Hungarian Dean of the Confucius Institute at Miskolci Egyetem, and Zhao Jing, Chinese Dean of the Confucius Institute at Miskolci Egyetem, as well as winners and their parents, teachers and students of the Confucius Institute at Miskolci Egyetem, and more than 200 local people.
The painting competition received more than 800 works submitted by primary and secondary school students from all over Hungary and neighboring countries, from which 18 winners were selected for the first, second and third prizes and special prizes, and a total of 69 outstanding works were exhibited.
At the Exhibition
Collection and Selection: painted dragons dance on paper with elegance
In March 2024, with the arrival of the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese lunar calendar, the Confucius Institute of Miskolci Egyetem successfully held a painting competition for primary and secondary schools with the theme of "Year of the Dragon" in Miskolc, Hungary. The competition is aimed to promote Chinese "Dragon" culture, which is one of the treasures of Chinese culture, while providing a new platform for Hungarian teenagers to display their artistic talents, and to open up a new way for Confucius Institutes to promote international Chinese education and enhance cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Hungary.
The competition was positively received by primary and secondary school students in Hungary and surrounding countries. Launched in March 2024, it lasted for three months in total, attracting students from various schools to participate. The influence of the competition expanded from the region where Miskolci Egyetem was located to all parts of Hungary, from Nyíregyháza in the east to Pécs in the west, from Kecskemét in the south to Gyår in the north, and even to neighboring countries such as Slovakia and Serbia. There were 816 entries in total. Revolving around the theme of the "Year of the Dragon," the children used paintbrushes to show their image of the dragon and its symbolism of strength, wisdom and auspiciousness in Chinese culture.
On September 5, 2024, after careful evaluation by the judges, a total of 18 winners were finally selected in three categories: first prize, second prize, third prize, and special prize.
Deans and Teachers of the Confucius Institute Setting Up the Exhibition
Exhibition and Award Ceremony: the light of art reflects the future
With the announcement of the selection results, the Chinese and Hungarian deans and teachers of the Confucius Institute quickly threw themselves into preparing for the exhibition of the winning works. They carefully designed the exhibition space based on traditional Chinese cultural elements, and skillfully integrated modern design concepts to create an exhibition atmosphere that is both traditional and fashionable.
The award ceremony and opening ceremony of the art exhibition were held in the Concert Hall of Miskolc on the afternoon of November 8. The Hungarian Dean of the Confucius Institute at Miskolci Egyetem, Dr. Ko Danqing, presided over the event and delivered speeches in Chinese-Hungarian together with the Chinese Dean, Dr. Zhao Jing.
In their speeches, they expressed sincere gratitude to the people of Miskolc for their long-term support to the Confucius Institute at Miskolci Egyetem over the past 11 years, and to the Confucius Institutes at Miskolci Egyetem and Debreceni Egyetem for their solid support to this exhibition. They also extended warm congratulations and heartfelt thanks to all the participants in the painting competition, congratulating winners on their accurate grasp and artistic interpretation of the connotation of Chinese "dragon" culture. Their participation in the competition were great rewards to the Confucius Institute at Miskolci Egyetem as results of its efforts in promoting Chinese culture, and encouraged students to continue to explore the charm of the Chinese language and Chinese culture. Subsequently, Mr. Varga, Vice President of Borsod, Wanhua, Professor Cui Xianlong, the Chinese Dean of the Confucius Institute at Debreceni Egyetem, and Professor Pál, the Hungarian Dean of the Confucius Institute at Debreceni Egyetem, as well as Dr. Ke Danqing and Dr. Zhao Jing, presented the award-winning students with certificates and prizes respectively, and gave high praise to their works.
The Chinese and Hungarian Deans of the Confucius Institute at Miskolci Egyetem Presenting Awards to the Winners
The Chinese and Hungarian Deans of the Confucius Institute at Debreceni Egyetem Presenting Awards to the Winners
Vice President of Borsod, Wanhua Presenting Awards to the Winners
The students of the Confucius Institute at Miskolci Egyetem prepared a variety of programs for the award ceremony, including wonderful Chinese dances, melodious piano performances, and unique recitation performances, presenting a sumptuous audio-visual feast for the audience.
Poem Recitation“Long Tan (Dragon Pond )” 
Piano Solo "Chopin - Etudes"
Dance Performance "Bohu Said" by Teachers and Students of the Confucius Institute at Miskolci Egyetem
Exhibition Opens Cultural Bridges: writing a new chapter in Sino-Hungarian friendship together
The outstanding paintings are displayed in the concert hall for two weeks attracting attention and admiration. These works not only show the children's painting talents, but also reflect their unique understanding and artistic interpretation of the "dragon", a traditional Chinese cultural element. Some works depict the majestic dragon soaring in the sky, while others show the majesty and mystery of the dragon through delicate brushstrokes. Each work is full of children's imagination and creativity, radiating with the charm and power of Chinese culture.
Group Photo of the Winners and Presenters
Visitors on the Exhibition Site
The "Year of the Dragon" theme painting competition has come to a successful conclusion with the support of the school, students, parents and teachers. The exhibition not only served as a window for more Hungarians to understand the charm of Chinese traditional culture, but also built a bridge to promote cultural exchanges and learning between the people of China and Hungary. Looking forward, the Confucius Institute at Miskolci Egyetem will continue to be committed to cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Hungary. With plans to hold more colorful cultural activities, such as Chinese cultural experience classes, painting, music and dance workshops, cultural lectures, art exhibitions, etc., the Confucius Institute aims to further broaden cultural exchange channels between young people in China and Hungary, while consistently playing its role of a bridge and further contributing to the friendship and people-to-people bond between China and Hungary.