Chinese people in Hungary

The Chinese people in Hungary (Chinese: 匈牙利华侨华人; Pinyin: Xiōngyálì huáqiáo huárén; Hungarian: Magyarországi kínaiak) form the largest non-native ethnic group in the country. According to the 2022 census, 18,154 Chinese nationals lived in Hungary, but estimates suggest the real number is higher. Most Chinese people in Hungary have only Chinese citizenship, not Hungarian.

The Chinese community in Hungary is diverse. In the early 1900s, Chinese merchants first appeared in Budapest. During communism, Chinese students and workers came to create ties. After the fall of communism, thousands of Chinese traders came to Hungary, taking advantage of a legal hole to start companies. These are called "Xīn yímín" (new migrants) in research, and they, with their children, form the core of the Chinese community now.

Between 2013 and 2017, a new group of wealthy immigrants arrived through Hungary’s residency bond program. Apart from these two main groups, many Chinese are also here as international university students and guest workers.

Most Chinese people live in Budapest, where 14,953 of them were counted in 2022, which is 82% of all Chinese in Hungary. They are also present in every big tcity in the country. Besides the Chinese, Vietnamese people make up the other large East Asian immigrant group in Hungary.

History

The first Chinese immigrants came to Hungary in the 1910s. They mostly worked as entertainers and street sellers, offering small statues, porcelain objects, and fans. To stand out from Japanese sellers in Budapest, they wore their national badge. In 1914, the government accused them of spying for Russia, but they were soon found innocent. During the investigation, a full report was written about the lives and work of the 62 Chinese counted in the capital. These sellers left Hungary during the Great Depression.

During the early years of the Kádár regime’s socialist leadership, Hungary tried to build good relations with communist China. As part of this, “scholar exchanges” were set up, where Chinese researchers came to Hungary for short periods, and many Chinese students studied here on scholarships. Relations between Hungary and China worsened in 1963 due to conflicts between the Soviet Union and China. Two decades later, in the 1980s, as tensions eased, Chinese immigration to Hungary resumed. A few thousand factory workers arrived to work for a set time at socialist companies in the region. One such project was at the Rába Hungarian Wagon and Machine Factory. In 1987, 335 Chinese guest workers came to its Győr plant, where a block of flats was built for them, still called the “Chinese house” by locals. The goal was to address labor shortages and train skilled workers to maintain Rába machines exported to China. Three years later, when their contracts ended, nearly all the Chinese workers returned home, but a few stayed and began trading.

While 1989 was the year of the political transition in Hungary, it was a year of uncertainty and oppression in China due to the Tiananmen Square events. By then, China had been following a “open door” capitalist economic policy for about a decade, creating a wealthy, middle-class group in special economic zones along the eastern coast. However, the violently suppressed protests made many fear a turbulent period. Some entrepreneurs, worried about their wealth, joined a wave called “chuguo re” (fever to leave the country) and decided to start businesses and try their luck as traders in the newly democratic Hungary. About a quarter of the first immigrants were from Beijing, but since then, most have come from Fujian and Zhejiang provinces on China’s eastern coast.

The Hungarian government launched the residency bond program, called the "golden visa," in 2013. Under this program, citizens of any country could gain Hungarian residency by purchasing Hungarian government bonds worth €250,000 (later €300,000). Participants had to hold the bonds for at least five years and pay an additional non-refundable €50,000 to one of four government-approved intermediary companies. With the residency permit, immigrants could move freely within the entire European Union. Due to its low cost and simple process, Hungary’s golden visa became the most popular among similar European programs. By the program’s end in 2017, 19,838 people had participated, with 81% (15,754) being Chinese. The program stood out as an anomaly in the otherwise strongly anti-immigration policy of the Fidesz government. In Hungary, anti-Chinese sentiment is significant: a 2016 survey found that 53% of Hungarians would not want a Chinese neighbor.

Demography

According to official data from the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing, the number of Chinese citizens living in Hungary has been steadily increasing, with minor dips in 2001, 2012, and 2022.

Of the Chinese in Hungary, 82% live in Budapest, making up 0.9% of the city’s population. Most live on the Pest side, with the highest concentration in the 10th district.

Culture

Chinese people in Hungary follow their Confucian beliefs, valuing close family bonds and clear hierarchy. They keep their traditions by celebrating Chinese holidays with family. Four big festivals are important. The best-known is the Lunar New Year (Chūnjié, 春节), when big families eat together, and kids get money in red envelopes (Hóngbāo, 红包). The second big holiday is the Dragon Boat Festival (Duānwǔ jié, 端午节), with a special food called zongzi (Zòngzǐ, 粽子), rice and meat wrapped in leaves. The Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhōngqiū jié, 中秋节) is also important, where families make a sweet food called mooncake. The fourth holiday is the Lantern Festival (Yuánxiāo jié), 元宵节), known for tangyuan (Tuányuán, 团圆), a sesame and rice dessert. These holidays follow the lunar calendar, so their dates change every year.