Chinese film festival starts in Budapest with movie star Jackie Chan

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The 2017 Chinese Film Festival started in Budapest on Sunday with presence of world famous film star Jackie Chan and five movies, one of which is Jackie Chan's latest production, Kung Fu Yoga.

"We, Chinese and Hungarians and Europeans have a common language, and that language is no other than the language of culture, which we would like to speak more often and better," Hungarian Minister of Human Resources, Zoltan Balog said, after meeting with Jackie Chan.

Listing the numerous cultural ties between Hungary and China, Zoltan Balog recalled a Bela Bartok concert last year in Shanghai, as well as an exhibition in Budapest presenting the art of ancient China.

He also mentioned that Hungary opened its Culture Center in Beijing in 2013. "We would very much like, and we would very much support the opening of a Chinese Culture Centre here in Budapest," he underlined.

Chinese Ambassador to Hungary Duan Jielong said the present period was "the best in the relations between China and Hungary", and also stressed that the "art of the films helps the two people to better understand each other".

Duan also reminded that millions of people played with the Hungarian Rubik's cube, whereas many followers in Hungary practiced Kung Fu.

"Chinese cinema has a rich history of more than 110 years, and went through major reforms and development over the last ten years," said Zhang Hongsen, head of the film bureau at China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

"Today, China is an international powerhouse in film productions and became the biggest market for films with the greatest number of film screens in the world," he added.

The festival that will last until April 29, will have screenings in the lavishly decorated Urania National Film Theatre of the Hungarian capital.

Besides Kung Fu Yoga, the festival will show "Xuan Zang", a biographical movie based on Xuanzang's journey to India during the Tang dynasty, "The book of love", a romantic comedy, as well as "Operation Mekong", which is an action film and finally "Mountains may depart", a romance motion picture.