Budapest(Hungary)

Budapest(Hungary)

[Overview] Budapest is the capital and largest city of Hungary. It is the country's political, economic, and cultural center as well as its transportation hub. The city of Budapest was officially created in 1872 from a merger of three cities: Óbuda, Buda and Pest. Located in central and northern Hungary along the Danube River, it covers an area of 525 square kilometers and has a population of 1.759 million.

[Politics] In Budapest, the central government is responsible for managing affairs concerning urban planning, legislation, public transportation, housing, waste management, local taxation, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, etc. The Budapest Municipality is responsible for all city services, police and fire protection, enforcement of all national and municipal laws within the city, and administration of public assets and most public agencies. The governing bodies of Budapest include the General Assembly and the City Council (i.e., the city government). The General Assembly has 33 members, including the Mayor of Budapest, the mayors of the 23 districts, and nine representatives from the electoral lists of political parties. The term of office of General Assembly members is five years. The current Chairman of the General Assembly and Mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, was elected in October 2019.

[Economy] Budapest's pillar industries include pharmaceuticals and medical devices, software development, and electronics. The city has a well-developed service sector. In recent years, the service sector, accounting for 81% of the city's GDP, has overtaken the manufacturing sector to become the city's largest contributor to GDP.

[Culture and Education] Home to many world-class composers and orchestras, Budapest is one of the music centers in Europe. The Bela Bartok Memorial House and Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum are located in the city. Budapest has a well-developed education system. There are many colleges and universities in the city, including Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Corvinus University of Budapest, Semmelweis University, and Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.

[Relations with Beijing] On June 16, 2005, Beijing and Budapest officially became sister cities. They have engaged in frequent exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, education, and tourism. In May 2015, the two cities signed the Memorandum of Cooperation in Culture and Art.

Culture: In June 2012, the new epic Peking Opera Red Cliff written by the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) was staged in Budapest. In January 2015, the Beijing Fine Art Academy and the Hungarian National Gallery jointly presented the exhibition – The Age of Munkácsy: Art in Hungary at the Turn of the Century. In May of the same year, the two institutions jointly opened the Qi Baishi Art International Research Center in Budapest, and presented the “Natural Fun – Qi Baishi's Works Collected by the Beijing Fine Art Academy” exhibition. In June 2018, Beijing held “When Hungary Meets China” cultural events in Budapest, including a concert and the Chinese Porcelain Exhibition.

Education: Beijing Foreign Studies University has worked together with universities in Budapest to open three Chinese language learning institutions in Budapest, including Confucius Institute and Confucius Classroom. Beijing International Studies University has collaborated with Hungarian universities on Hungarian language teaching and teacher and student exchanges.

Tourism: Budapest was among the first batch of cities to join the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) established on the initiative of Beijing in 2012 and has since then actively participated in WTCF activities.

布达佩斯市(匈牙利)

【概况】布达佩斯市是匈牙利首都和最大城市，全国政治、经济、文化中心和交通枢纽。该市于1872年由老布达、布达和佩斯三个城市合并而成。位于匈牙利中北部多瑙河沿岸，面积525平方公里，人口175.9万。

【政治】在布达佩斯市，中央政府负责城市规划、立法、公共交通、住房、废弃物管理、地方税收、矫正机构、图书馆、公共安全、娱乐设施等事务。布达佩斯市负责城市服务、治安和消防以及执行国家和城市法律，并负责管理公共财产 和大多数公立机构。布达佩斯管理机构包括市议会和市政管理委员会（即市政府）。市议会有33个席位，分别为市长、布市23个区的区长以及9名政党代表，任期5年。现任议会主席兼市长高拉乔尼于2019年10月当选。

【经济】布达佩斯支柱产业有制药和医疗器械、软件开发、电子产业等。布市服务业发达，近年来服务业占经济比重不断提高，已经超过生产制造业，占地区生产总值的81%。

【文化教育】布达佩斯是欧洲音乐中心之一，有许多世界级的作曲家和乐团，巴尔托克音乐博物馆和李斯特音乐博物馆也座落于该市。布达佩斯教育体系完整，有多所高等院校，其中比较著名的有厄特沃什·罗兰科学大学、布达佩斯技术经济大学、布达佩斯经济科学和国家行政大学、赛迈尔维兹医科大学和李斯特·费兰茨音乐艺术学院等。

【两市交往】2005年6月16日，北京市与布达佩斯市正式建立友好城市关系，两市在文化、教育、旅游等领域交流合作较为密切。2015年5月，两市签署了《文化艺术合作备忘录》。

文化领域：2012年6月，国家大剧院新编史诗京剧《赤壁》在布达佩斯市上演； 2015年1月，北京画院与匈牙利国家画廊联合在北京举办了“蒙卡奇和他的时代：世纪之交的匈牙利艺术”展览；5月，两所机构合作在布达佩斯市设立了“齐白石艺术国际研究中心”，并举办“天然之趣—北京画院藏齐白石作品展”。2018年6月，北京市在布达佩斯市举办“当匈牙利遇见中国”一带一路文化展演系列活动，其中包括“中国瓷文化展”及“大音希声”音乐会。

教育领域：北京外国语大学在布达佩斯市相关高校开设了包括孔子学院、孔子课堂在内的3所汉语推广机构。北京第二外国语学院与匈牙利有关高校开展匈牙利语教学和师生交流等领域交往。

旅游领域：2012年，布达佩斯市首批加入了由我市发起成立的世界旅游城市联合会，并积极参与联合会活动。

（Source: Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipal Government）