台灣與匈牙利 · Táiwān yǔ Xiōngyálì
One in East Asia, one in Central Europe – yet Taiwan and Hungary have more in common than you might think, including a little-known shared chapter of history. We start with 1956, then compare everyday life in six topics, each with discussion questions and key Mandarin vocabulary with pinyin.
背景與歷史 · Bèijǐng yǔ lìshǐ
In October 1956, the people of Hungary rose up against the communist regime and Soviet control – the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1956. Soviet troops soon crushed the uprising, but the news travelled around the world, all the way to Taiwan.
It was the height of the Cold War, and Taiwan, too, stood on the anti-communist side. Hungarian anti-communist activists later visited Taiwan, and their visit was captured in the film Hungarian Anti-Communist Activists Visit Taiwan (匈牙利反共人士訪問台灣), produced by the Taiwan Film Culture Company and now held by the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute. For Taiwan, supporting Hungary was both an act of solidarity and a matter of strategy.
Exhibition · A Budapest Forum 2026 side event
Szolidaritás és Stratégia
Taiwan and the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1956
比一比 · Bǐ yi bǐ
Each card ends with a Taiwan | Hungary comparison. Try guessing first, then discuss together.
雙邊往來
Taiwan and Hungary do not have formal diplomatic relations, but each side has an office in the other’s capital to handle visas, trade, education and cultural exchange: the Taipei Representative Office in Hungary in Budapest, and the Hungarian Trade Office in Taipei. For many people, studying or travelling in Taiwan starts with one of these offices.
TaiwanHungarian Trade Office in TaipeiHungaryTaipei Representative Office in Budapest
經貿與產業
Taiwan is famous for semiconductors and electronics, while Hungary is one of Europe’s key production bases for cars and electronics. Some Taiwanese electronics companies, such as Foxconn (鴻海), run factories in Hungary that supply the European market, and the two sides see room to work together in electronics, auto parts and green energy.
TaiwanSemiconductors, computers, electronic componentsHungaryCars, batteries, electronics assembly
學中文、去留學
More and more people in Hungary are learning Mandarin, and our centre is one place to do it. If you want to study in Taiwan, you can apply for Taiwanese government scholarships such as the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship (華語文獎學金) and learn Mandarin at a university language centre, or spend a semester or a year in Taiwan on an exchange programme.
TaiwanClasses at university Mandarin centresHungaryClasses at our centre, with traditional characters
溫泉文化
Budapest is known as the City of Spas: the Széchenyi and Gellért baths are famous, and many people play chess while soaking in the warm water. Taiwan also has plenty of hot springs – Beitou in Taipei and Jiaoxi in Yilan are just an MRT or train ride away. In Taiwan, indoor public baths are usually separated by gender, while at outdoor public pools you wear a swimsuit.
TaiwanBeitou, Jiaoxi, Tai’anHungarySzéchenyi, Gellért, Lake Hévíz
餐桌上的對照
Hungarian gulyás is made with plenty of paprika, giving it a red colour and a warming taste. Taiwan’s braised beef noodle soup (紅燒牛肉麵) is stewed with soy sauce, chilli bean paste and star anise – also a red soup, and a whole meal in one bowl. Both are favourite home-style dishes in winter. In Taiwan, rice and noodles are the staples, eaten with chopsticks; in Hungary, meals often come with bread.
TaiwanBeef noodle soup, star anise, soy sauceHungaryGulyás, paprika, onion
音樂與節慶
Liszt and Bartók are Hungary’s most famous composers, and their music is often heard in Taiwan’s concert halls and piano lessons. On 20 August, St Stephen’s Day, fireworks light up the Danube in Budapest; in Taiwan, there are fireworks on National Day (10 October) and on New Year’s Eve. The biggest holiday in Taiwan is Lunar New Year, while in Hungary it is Christmas.
TaiwanLunar New Year, National Day fireworksHungaryChristmas, fireworks on the Danube on 20 August
Want to know more about Taiwan? Go back to About Taiwan to explore tech, health and art.
* The 1956 background is based on public information about the exhibition Solidarity and Strategy (a Budapest Forum 2026 side event; research and curatorial concept: Dr. Bernadett Szél and Gábor Rácz). The other topics were compiled by our centre for teaching purposes.
Jade Mountain Mandarin School
匈牙利玉山中文學校
