ELTE delegation visits China
On 4 May 2023, László Borhy and his entourage visited the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, where they were received by Rector Wang Rui, Vice-Rector Dong Dejun, and Gan Wudong. Gan Wudong expressed his appreciation to Hungary’s oldest university for its nearly 400-year history of graduating renowned specialists and scientists, including Zoltán Kodály, whom they also hold in high esteem. “Although the Conservatory of Music is a younger institution, it is developing rapidly”, said the leader. For the sake of continuous development, the conservatory places great emphasis on internationalisation, including the establishment of various exchange programmes and inter-institutional collaborations.
The main pillar of the cooperation between the conservatory and ELTE is student exchange. In recent years, the conservatory has sent ten students to each partial training programmes offered by the ELTE Department of Music. The two institutions have good foundations for the development of further cooperation, which is also demonstrated by the fact that they have already established a joint master’s degree programme. The Music Teaching double degree MA programme is to be launched in September 2024.
During the visit, ELTE representatives toured the university campus and had a look at the library, the theatre, and the special music studio, where the soundtrack of the film Avatar was recorded. They also met the students of the conservatory who were formerly studying at ELTE. The Zhejiang Conservatory of Music also reported on the visit in detail.
The following day, the delegation, accompanied by Szilárd Bolla, the Consul General of Hungary in Shanghai, visited Fudan University (Shanghai), one of China’s leading higher education institutions. Rector Jin Li welcomed the guests. At the meeting, the participants discussed potential collaborations between the two universities, as well as future joint projects of education and research.
“The two countries have maintained good relations for a long time, and in recent years this relationship has been further deepened in the fields of economy, politics, and education,” pointed out Jin Li at the meeting. “Eötvös Loránd University is regarded as a highly prominent partner by Fudan,” he added.
“ELTE and Fudan signed a cooperation agreement in 2015 and our institutions have implemented several joint projects since then. Mutual visits are regular, several research collaborations are in progress, teacher and student exchanges are continuous, and online lecture series are being prepared. It is an outstanding achievement that the double degree Master’s programme in Chinese philosophy established together with Fudan will also be launched soon. These programmes must be maintained and even further developed,” said Jin Li. The report of the meeting published by Fudan University is available here.
On 8 May, the delegation also visited the Beijing Foreign Language University, which has had an active and good relationship with ELTE for many years. During the meeting, Vice-Rector Imre Hamar said that the Chinese Region is of particular significance for ELTE and the university fosters the exchange of students and specialists between the two institutions, as well as the establishment and development of cooperation on various levels. During the meeting, the parties also agreed that further support for mobility programmes is essential for deepening cooperation. The Beijing Foreign Language University also published a detailed report on the visit.
In Beijing, ELTE representatives also visited Shoudu Shifan Daxue University (Capital Normal University), where they were received by Rector Ma Ligeng. The leaders and teachers of the School of Management, as well as the staff members responsible for the international relations of the university attended the meeting on 9 May. After the consultation, the parties concluded a general cooperation agreement and signed a contract on student exchange. During the visit, the delegation also met the Vice-Director of the Centre for Language and Education, who assured the ELTE leaders of his support regarding the Central and Eastern European Regional Chinese Teacher Training Centre.