In the heart of Hangzhou, a young artist is forging a unique connection between two distant cultures. Tang Mei Tímea, a sophomore at the China Academy of Art, is making waves with her exceptional skills in Chinese painting and calligraphy. Her journey beautifully intertwines her Chinese and Hungarian heritage.

Tang Mei’s story began with her multicultural roots. Her mother, a Hungarian with a deep love for Chinese culture, studied Chinese in college. In Szeged, Hungary, she met a young man from Shenyang, China. Their union brought Tang Mei into the world, and her name, chosen by her mother, reflects a rich Chinese cultural heritage.

As a child, Tang Mei occasionally spent summers in Shenyang, immersing herself in Chinese culture. At six, she lived there for a year, attending a local kindergarten and studying Chinese alongside her mother in painting classes. Her artistic sensibility stood out early on, and she brought the traditions of Chinese brush, ink, paper, and inkstone back to Hungary.

In Hungary, Tang Mei balanced her studies between Western art techniques and Chinese painting and calligraphy, learning at a local Confucius Institute. Her summer visits to China, especially to places like Hangzhou, deepened her appreciation for China’s diverse landscapes and cultures.

After graduating from high school in Hungary, Tang Mei initially pursued law but soon realized her true passion lay in the arts. Supported by her family, she returned to her artistic roots and was accepted into the prestigious China Academy of Art in Hangzhou.

Studying in Hangzhou, a sister city to Budapest since 1999, Tang Mei feels a profound connection to her heritage. “This academy is a sacred temple for every Chinese painting student,” she says. Her art often captures scenes around the school, West Lake, and Longjing tea plantations. Inspired by ancient Chinese patterns, she recently drew at the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City.

Tang Mei’s work uniquely merges Hungarian and Chinese influences. Using the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók’s “Cantata Profana” as a backdrop, she portrayed its story through Chinese painting, blending the image of a deer with ancient script to symbolize the timeless bond between cultures.

She recalled her childhood travels between Hungary and China, which have become more convenient with direct flights and simplified visa processes.

Born in 2000, she remembered that as a child, there were no direct flights from Budapest to China, and visiting her grandparents in Shenyang required multiple stopovers. Recently, direct flights from Budapest to Beijing, Shanghai, and Ningbo have been established, and the visa process for her grandparents visiting Budapest has become much easier.

Furthermore, this year, China announced a visa exemption for Hungarian citizens from mid-March until the end of December 2025. In response, Hungary is also simplifying the process for Chinese investors to obtain long-term visas.

During the interview, Tang Mei highlighted the Hungary-Serbia railway, which connects the capitals of Hungary, Budapest, and Serbia, Belgrade. This railway is a flagship project under the “Belt and Road” initiative, with construction in Hungary already more than halfway complete.

“I even saw the Terracotta Warriors in Budapest!” Tang Mei exclaimed, noting the growing presence of Chinese cultural exhibitions in Hungary. She is fascinated by the cultural parallels between the two nations, from the shared pentatonic music scales to the historical connections and traditions preserved in Hungarian ceramics.

She also mentioned that the art of porcelain making, which originated in China, spread globally and has been preserved in Hungary, where several renowned ceramic brands still thrive today.

“Both the media and the public here are very open to economic cooperation and cultural exchanges,” Tang Mei says. Her father has been living and working in Hungary for nearly thirty years and finds the people there incredibly welcoming.

Hungary has a substantial Chinese community with its own social groups and publications. The local Chinese community organizes events like the Spring Festival Gala, attracting many Hungarians and fostering cultural exchange. Increasingly, Hungarian schools are teaching Chinese as a second language, and many Hungarians attend weekend Chinese classes.

Looking to the future, Tang Mei is committed to deepening her study of Chinese culture and sharing her experiences with friends in Hungary. Her artwork continues to be a bridge connecting two rich cultural traditions, inspiring appreciation and understanding across borders.