Tihanyi Istvan, a young man from Hungary, held a Hungarian Culture Exhibition during the Chinese New Year Festival. The event showcased traditional customs, legends and sceneries in a European-style old building in Tianjin, part of his efforts to boost ties between the two countries.

Tihanyi has studied and lived in Tianjin for many years and has been involved in many activities to promote cultural communication between the two countries. "I went to a Chinese university, started a business in Tianjin, and for all the time have devoted myself to be the envoy of Sino-Hungary friendship.”

He graduated from Tianjin University (TJU) with a master's degree. "I majored in environmental engineering at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering and got my master degree in 2017. I love my university. During my study there, I was selected as the student assistant to our university principal and learned a lot from this experience. I was fascinated by Chinese culture and developed a deep bond with the city of Tianjin, so I decided to start up a business here after graduation.”

Tihanyi opened a Hungarian red wine workshop in Tianjin in 2019. “I'm committed to letting more people see the Sino-Hungary friendship, not only on the national level, but also among ordinary people in the two countries. In history, Hungary and China have always been supportive of each other. Through this Hungarian cultural exhibition in Tianjin, I want to show my Chinese friends Hungarian clothes and food. Actually, some Hungarian traditional dishes are similar to Chinese dishes and Hungarian red wine and white wine go well with Chinese cuisine.”

So far, he has opened two wineries and a coffee shop. “Tianjin is my second hometown and I plan to establish a Hungarian cultural center in Tianjin. In this way, I hope to make my own contribution to promoting the relationship between Hungary and China on a higher platform.”

He won second prize in a short video contest for expats organized by the Tianjin Municipal Science and Technology Bureau in 2021.

"I advise Chinese learners to come over and see modern China with their own eyes. Otherwise, you will never imagine how fast China is developing and how safe the country is.”