SMILING AGAIN: Chinese students enjoy themselves at Balaton Lake (QI WEI)

A party was held for two students whose birthdays occurred during the trip. "We planned it secretly and it turned out to be a great surprise for all of the students," Qi said.

"The itinerary was similar to the one for our last trip here in 2008," he said. "I think going camping is particularly helpful for the students as from the moment they arrive in Hungary they have to deal with everything independently in a place they aren't familiar with."

"The beautiful scenery at Lake Balaton has healed the wounds in my heart caused by the violent earthquake. The lessons we learned in Hungary encourage me to explore the world more. These memories will stay with me forever," said Liu Yiyi, a 14-year-old girl from Tianquan Junior Middle School in Tianquan County.

Liu also remembered being impressed when they went mountain climbing. She saw a very little girl running before her mom. The girl was running quickly and ended up falling over, but her mother just smiled at her and encouraged her to stand up by herself. The little girl got up and began running again.

"We cannot always feel sorry for ourselves and stay down every time we fall," Liu said. "The image of the girl standing by herself is always lingering in my mind. We should do the same thing."

Good wishes

As the founder and chairman of the Confucius Institute at the University of Szeged, Ujhelyi has a strong interest in Chinese culture and Confucian philosophy.

"Confucius said 'First he practices what he preaches and then he follows it,'" said Ujhelyi when explaining his motivation to instigate and sponsor these trips since 2008. He also quoted the well-known last line from Chinese writer Lu Xun's work Diary of a Madman—"Save our children."

"We will try to help them in forgetting the unforgettable. I hope China and the EU can learn more about each other in order to facilitate future cooperation in various areas," said Ujhelyi, who, along with his own children, accompanied the students on their trip to Hungary.

"The trip helped promote Sino-Hungarian friendship. Students learned about Hungarian culture during the trip. At the same time, they showed perseverance and the ability to endure tragedy," said Ji Ping, Deputy Secretary General of the China Foundation for Peace and Development.

"People in Hungary are very friendly and helpful and students felt quite at home," Qi said. "I am glad to see them so happy after this trip."

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