The ELTE Confucius Institute is linked to this event with a memorial assembly paying tribute to Lajos Ligeti, one of the most prominent orientalists of the 20th century. Ligeti Lajos (1902-1987) was born 110 years ago this year and passed away 25 years ago, so this occasion is actual from two aspects. Former collegaues and students of Ligeti will attend this memorial meeting, and they will help us get to know the life and work of this exceptional researcher.

Jointly organized by the ELTE Confucius Intitute, the Chinese Department and the Inner-Asia Department

One manifestation of this is the EU-China Conference held at the beginning of November, which is organized by the Confucius Institute in conjunction with the British Council and the French Institute. The goal of the conference is to map the economical and political status of modern China and to review additional development trends, supplemented with a look at China’s role on the international stage.

The creator of The story of Qiu Ju, Raise the Red Lantern, Hero, House of flying daggers, Zhang Yimou, was a celebrated hero of western film festivals in the 1980’s and 90’s, made a name as the creator of blockbusters in the last decade. His career was formed by the impression of authorship and the popular film culture, critical position and political commitment. The interpretations of life-work, what played key role in getting Chinese movie well-known and recognized at national and international level, accurately shows the diverse -and especially significant in cultural globalization- questions of cultural representation and self-exoticism. The presentation studies the problematic of speaking in the social milieu with analyzing the Hero movie through the dynamics of nearness and distance to power.

This year the focus of the ELTE Confucius Institute will be on Chinese inventions. There will be a number of interesting presentations for the public. Visitors will be able to attend seminars by Dr. Imre Hamar (Director of the Institute), Kornélia Major and Csenge Gulyás (both sinologists), and Alíz Horváth (sinologist-japanologist). In addition there will be an exhbition of the Institute's extensive Chinese book collection.

Image source: Wikipédia

A new series of lectures is starting up at the Confucius Institute with the title of ”China and the Arts”.

The opening lecture of the year will be presented by Dr. Beatrix Mecsi, adjunct professor of the ELTE Korean Department, on 25 September at 6 PM. Her presentation, entitled „Realism and the Confucian Ideal in East Asian Portraiture” will deal with various aesthetic theories which underlay East Asian portraits of the last two millennia.

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„The actual depiction of the subject plays an important role in every culture, but especially in the Chinese, where much has been written about the theory of portraiture. I intend to show how various writers theorized about portrait art. For example, Gu Kaizhi (顧愷之ca 344-406 CE) considered the soul of the subject to be most important: it was to be presented with the help of external similarities (chusanshen xiezhao 伝神写照). In contrast, the philosopher Cheng Yi (程頤1033-1107 CE) insisted: „If even one strand of hair is incorrectly placed on the picture, then it is the portrait of a different person.” In Neo-Confucian Korea this approach was taken literally, so that in the Joseon era after 15th century CE, „clinical exactitude” became common, a phenomenon which remained unique in East Asia.

This was followed by a round table discussion about the characteristics of modern Chinese art and its reception in Europe, with Dr. Gergely Salát, director of the Modern China Studies Center, also taking part. After the program guests were treated to a special guided tour of the exhibit and were invited to sample several different Chinese teas.

The event featured new tools used in Chinese language education which have been specifically tailored to Hungarians, including a new Hungarian-Chinese textbook, and various online programs and dictionaries which assist students in their language studies. The Language Parade also included a calligraphy demonstration carried out by Chinese teachers of the institute. Two seminars of great success – hosted by Alíz Horváth and József Terjék on Saturday and Sunday – provided additional details about innovations in domestic Chinese language education and online learning materials.

... helped the Kuomintang government in the struggle against the Japanese invaders, from December 1941 until mid-1942. At this point the squadrons were integrated into the regular armed forces of the U.S., which had also entered the war in the Asia-Pacific region, thus subtracting them from Chinese control.

The unit's name is still surrounded by legends, and their names (as well as the names of their most successful pilots) are still very well known in both the U.S. and among the personnel of the Taiwan Air Force. One obvious reason is that besides the Allied air forces fighting in the region they were (according to combat statistics) by far the most successful, another likely reason is that they were volunteers: they checked in for front-line service, when (in addition to defending another country), their own homeland, the U.S., was not yet a fighting party.

The lecture will present the short but eventful history of this unit. Dr. Huba Bartos, Associate Professor of the ELTE University, Institute of Far-Eastern Studies, Chinese Departement

Balázs Turay, photographer who will give the presentation, has repeatedly visited Northwest China, the former Silk Road oasis cities, and photographed the ruined cities of Turfán, Tunhuang, Jiahoe and Gaochang as well.
The images will be discussed in relation to the history of the region, religion, cultural diversity, the role of Buddhism and Islam, proliferation, and also - as a taster - we will hear about the characteristics of documentary photography, and how to take portrait and landscape pictures.

Their choice of which exchange rate system to apply is influenced by various financial and economic conditions. Chinese exchange rate policy has often been in the crossfire of international disputes, as over the past twenty years the exchange rate of the official currency has been mainly linked de facto to the U.S. dollar. Market forces arising from the enforcement of the pricing side of the exchange rate have had both positive and negative effects.

At the presentation, we will review the milestones of this policy, examine the reasons and intentions behind the decisions that have been taken, and then evaluate the opportunities and risks resulting from the exchange rate policy.

Ágnes Tőrös, doctoral candidate of Budapest Corvinus University

Interactive occupations await children (and adults too of course) who want to become more closely acquainted with Chinese culture, and to get tangible experience of this fascinating country!

The Hungarian Embassy of the People's Republic of China, with the assistance of the Confucius Institute, is organizing the Hungarian round of the world-renowned Chinese Bridge competition.

We welcome all applications by students of Chinese , who feel ready for the challenge of impressing the audience and the judges with not only their Chinese language skills, but also their cultural knowledge and performing skills.

The competition consists of three rounds:
- First: the competitiors have to recite a Chinese-language essay written by themselves
- Second: Answering China-related questions,
- Third: an optional title should be performed.

All inquiries are welcome!

By knowing these things, we can get a more realistic picture about contemporary China than the typically Confucian ethos conveyed by historical sources. Through some examples, we can understand what the legal system meant for ordinary people, what they knew about it and how much they understood of it, and how they actually utilized in in everyday activities.

Finally, we look at how some public officials tried to gain some advantage by using legal cases, how they interfered in the everyday life of their constituents, and "raised" them for their own perposes.

Prof. Pierre-Etienne Will is Director of the l'Institut des Hautes Études Chinoises du Collège de France The lecture is held in English

There is huge competition for viewers, listeners and circulation, As a result, today's media market in China is extremely diverse. In addition to traditional channels, the role of the Internet is increasing, where micro-blogging and social networking sites have led to a real information revolution. During the presentation we review the current situation of the Chinese media, and the most important trends.

Dr. Gergely Salát, sinologist, Eötvös Loránd University Assistant Professor, head of the ELTE Confucius Institute Modern China Research Centre

Musical performances are very popular, as are demonstrations of martial arts, silk-fan dancing or the xiangsheng (one- or two-person cabaret), but participants are free to choose any type of Chinese-themed performance to amuse the audience.

The Alphabetum Tibetanum or ’’Tibetan Alphabet’’ is a large, hardcover book printed on thick paper; with its 900 pages and wirghing 5 kilos it cannot be considered as a mere phrasebook for a traveller of modest means.

Sándor Kőrösi Csoma did not give up the creation of an Augustinian monk, Antonio Agostino Giorgi, for nearly 20 years. He kept it with him, from when he received it in 1822, until his death in 1842. The book played an important role in his decision to undertake the preparation of a Tibetan grammar and dictionary. Despite its title, the book is more than a mere alphabet book, Csoma found in it not only basic knowledge for this language that was still unknown in Europe, but also an extremely rich mosaic picture of the culture.

This book represented the starting point for the Csoma’s major scientific research work into a whole new discipline, that was to result in the creation of tibetology.

Dr. Erzsébet Tóth, assistant professor at the ELTE Departement of Inner Asian Studies

What is the concept of innovation in China? How could Hungary increase its ability to attract funding? What, indeed, are the foreign target areas for Chinese?
All these questions and more will be answered for those who come to the Confucius Institute lecture in March, which will be given by Zsolt Takács, executive director of China Mart Budapest, board member of ChinaCham Hungary, Hungarian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

The aim of the roundtable discussion is to provide students and all those interested with a look inside the exciting and challenging world of this profession and to acquaint them with the serious and responsible work behind the glittering surface, namely, the everyday life of diplomats in China.

Here is the opportunity you have been waiting for! Confident that many will be interested, ELTE Confucius Institute is organizing a two-session cooking course, where participants can learn about the tools of Chinese cuisine and its specialities. Impress your friends and loved ones with special dishes. Do not miss out!

If you wish to take part, please pay the fee by February 23 at the Confucius Institute.

Among these are the highly significant fortune-telling bones from the Shang-era, from the end of the second millenium B.C. and documents written on wooden boards have emerged from the desert areas of Western China. Also in this region, near the ancient Chinese Silk Road city of Dunhuang, was discovered a collection of more than forty thousand medieval manuscripts, a considerable part of which was acquired and shipped to England by the Hungarian-born Aurél Stein. Since the 1970s, a large number of small but highly significant manuscripts have been found together, especially in ancient tombs. The discoveries are still in progress nowadays, and every few years a new sensation excites the professionals, but some of the new materials no longer come from archaeological sites, but from the Chinese and international art market. Thus, in the past century since the discovery of the Shang fortune-telling bones, large quantities of antique and medieval manuscripts have been found, and this perspective clearly indicates the cultural attitudes and trends surrounding the artifacts and their changes.

Dr. Imre Galambos, Associate Professor at Péter Pázmány University

Image source: British Library

For this movie, Chen Kaige recieved a Gold Palm Prize at the 1993 Cannes Movie Festival and received a Golden Globe Award in 1994, for the "Best Foreign Language Film".

Who has not seen flying warriors and noble soldiers, taken a close look at children, or admired lovesick lovers on the big screen? Besides providing entertainment, Chinese movies are also transmitters of culture and traditional values.

How long is this unique development sustainable? What if the economic growth slows down, or even stops? What are the economic, political and social challenges that China faces? The lecture attempts to answer these questions.

Zsolt Bartha, economist