Address 30 Marót Street, Budapest 1202, Hungary. Phone/fax: 36-1-285-1097 E-mail: soong@freestart.hu
Devoted for Sino-Hungarian children's cultural exchange for 18 years
Cultural delegations of children promote the friendship of nations and mutual understanding of each other's culture. The Soong Ching Ling Hungarian Children Friendship Foundation, led by Mr. Gabor Udvari, established a long-run exchange project of children's cultural delegations between China and Hungary in 1990 with the Chinese Soong Ching Ling Foundation. Every year since then, children get together with the other country's young people, give and watch cultural performances on stage. Sometimes they attend international art festivals, visit schools, while showcase dance, music and art of their homeland. And of course make friends. During their trip the groups see touristical highlights of the host country. City and county heads, cultural and educational leaders give meetings for the delegations from both side.
----- The Panda Hungarian Foundation for Children and the Soong Ching Ling Hungarian Children Friendship Foundation continued together cultural children's exchange from the year of 2000. We built cooperation with the Chinese Young Pioneers, the Association for Chinese Children's Literature, the Shanghai China Welfare Institute and Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Every July Hungarian children's group(s) go to China and every August Chinese delegation(s) come to Hungary. We enjoy strong support from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Budapest.
----- There were professional exchange groups of kindergarten teachers, obstetrician doctors and nurses, and a Hungarian Minister of Social and Family Affairs also visited China with the aid of our two Foundations. In Hungary we are used to organize art contests for talented children to get the chance to see China. The adult group members are mostly teachers and foundation volunteers devoted for children. Hungarian groups went to Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Dalian, Harbin, Jinan, Wuhan, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Beidaihe, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Tangshan, Chengde and many other charming places of China. Chinese children's cultural delegations travelled to Budapest, Pecs, Gyor, Szentendre, Veszprem, other towns around the lake Balaton, Jaszbereny, Gyomaendrod, Martfu and more different sites of interest in Hungary.
----- The hearth and engine of this stable cultural connection, Gabor Udvari has passed away in January 2008. Chinese and Hungarian participants expressed their will to continue our mission in Sino-Hungarian children's cultural exchange, as Gabor would like to. We want to keep the tradition of the last 18 years. We have formed one organization from the Soong Ching Ling Hungarian Children Friendship Foundation and Panda Hungarian Foundation for Children. The English name of the newly unified one is Panda Hungarian Soong Ching Ling Foundation.
Susy Kartali
Chairwoman, Panda Hungarian Soong Ching Ling Foundation
