BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping encouraged Hungarian youths to learn more about China and become envoys of the China-Hungary friendship in a recent reply letter.

 

In his reply to a letter from students of the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school in the Central and Eastern European country, Xi said he and his wife were glad to hear from the Hungarian students during the Spring Festival of the Year of the Rabbit, and he still remembers chatting with teachers and students of the school in 2009.

 

Xi said he would like to give the students a thumbs-up upon hearing that the students have kept learning Chinese for a long time and are committed to making contributions to the China-Hungary friendship.

 

He emphasized that both China and Hungary have a long history and a splendid culture, and people of the two countries enjoy a traditional friendship and increasingly close cultural exchanges.

 

The students, Xi said, are welcomed to study in Chinese universities after graduation from high school, hoping that more and more Hungarian youths will love and study the Chinese language.

 

Xi also said that he hoped they have the opportunity to travel around the country, learn more about today's China as well as its history and culture, and strive to become envoys to carry forward and develop the China-Hungary friendship.

 

Founded in September 2004, the Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school is the only full-time school in Central and Eastern Europe that uses Chinese and the local language for instruction. Currently, the school has 12 grades and 20 classes with more than 530 students.

 

During his visit to Hungary in October 2009, Xi, who was then China's vice president, visited the school.

 

Before the Spring Festival, two students whose Chinese names are Hu Lingyue and Song Zhixiao, wrote a letter to Xi and his wife, Professor Peng Liyuan, on behalf of all students in the school, conveying their New Year's greetings. In their letter, they also spoke about what it felt studying Chinese in the school for 12 years, and expressed their willingness to study in Chinese universities and contribute to the Hungary-China friendship.