Publikálva: 2010.08.24.

Hungarian National Day at the Shanghai Expo

Címkék:

Great success at the National Day

Almost 2000 visitors watched the Gala Evening of the Hungarian National Day. A lot of musical styles, dance, and singing genre were represented at the evening, called „City and the Music.

The National Day of Hungary started at 11 am in the morning, with the ceremony of flag-raising and the Hungarian national anthem on the World Exhibition in Shanghai. The Hungarian delegation is led by Géza Szőcs, the under-secretary was in charge of cultural issues of the Ministry of National Resources. The leader of the Chinese delegation was Zhu Zushou, the governmental vice-commissioner of the Expo 2010 Shanghai. In their opening speeches at the Expo Centre’s hall they both emphasized the fact that Hungary was among the first country to establish diplomatic relationship with the People’s Republic of China more than 60 years ago.

Géza Szőcs highly praised the smooth operation of the World Expo and wished success in the coming weeks. He guaranteed that Hungary will cooperate to achieve the eco-friendly goals of China. He also said that the new government of Hungary will strive to deepen the friendship between the two nations and encourage the economical cooperation. He highlighted that more and more Hungarian high-school and university students learn Chinese language and apply for scholarships to China. The situation is the same in Hungary, since the year 2004 the only Hungarian-Chinese bilingual primary school in Europe operates in Budapest.

After the official speeches Ms. Bea Palya singer and Ms. Mónika Vida a student of the Liszt Ferenc Music University (Department of Special Talents) introduced a sequence of the gala show.

The two delegations visited the Chinese Pavilion together and after the exhibition dedicated to environment protection, they went to the Hungarian Pavilion. The leader of the Hungarian Business Entity, Mr. Richard Mohr welcomed the delegations and introduced the Pavilion. The inventors of the main theme of the Pavilion, the Gömböc; Mr. Gábor Domonkos and Mr. Péter Várkonyi showed the shape in “real”.

The Chinese delegation was welcomed by the beautiful singing of the 50 children, who became ophans as a consequence of the earthquake in April at Qinghai – their invitation was claimed after the day of the tragedy by the Hungarian Pavilion’s board. The vice-commissioner of the Hungarian Section, Ms. Cecília Szilas surprised the children with gifts. Zhu Zushou praised this gesture of Hungary. The earthquake in April was a great loss in both material, environmental and spiritual terms. – as he said. He was grateful for Hungary and said that the children will surely remember these experiences in their adulthood.

The audience could enjoy the folk-dance and folk-music performances of the students of the Liszt Ferenc Music University during the day, which was held on open stage close to the Hungarian Pavilion at the main stage of the Europe Square.

The Gala Show was held at the Expo’s Center Hall, where thosands listened gladly to the colorful and rich performance with vivid virtual and music elements. Ms. Erika Miklósa opera singer, Ms. Bea Palya, Nie Siyao and Mr. Zsolt Homonnay singers, Mr. Ferenc Snétberger guitar player, Mr. Kálmán Balogh and Mr. Miklós Lukács dulcimer players, Balázs “the bumblebee” Szokolay flute artist, Mr. András Dés percussionist, Mr. Gábor Czabán beatbox performer, and Ms. Mónika Vida pianist were among the performers just like the Modern Art Orchestra, ExperiDance, and Contemporary Ballet of Szeged, and Attraction Visual Theatre.

On the 23rd of August, on the second day of the National Day the cultural series of events called Art Forum Hungary was opened at MoCA – Museum of Contemporary Arts in Shanghai.