From Ancient Scrolls to TikTok: How Hungary’s Youth Are Falling for Mandarin
Move over, K-pop—Chinese culture is having a moment in Hungary! 🌟 With over 200 million people globally having studied Mandarin, young Hungarians are joining the wave for reasons ranging from ancient poetry to career dreams.
Flóra Tóth, a 21-year-old student at the University of Miskolc, shared with CGTN how her childhood fascination with Chinese art evolved into majoring in East Asian studies: \"I wanted to read Confucius in the original script and understand tea ceremonies beyond Instagram reels.\" 🍵
Others are more practical: Chinese companies in Hungary like Huawei and BYD have created over 15,000 jobs, making Mandarin fluency a golden ticket. \"It’s like learning the cheat codes to future opportunities,\" joked Balázs Kovács, a Budapest-based tech trainee.
But let’s be real—some just think it’s cool. 🕶️ \"Nailing those Mandarin tones feels like unlocking a secret superpower,\" laughed Zsófia Nagy, who practices calligraphy between TikTok dances.
