Hungary honors Wu Jiatong for decades of Hungarian-Chinese cultural diplomacy

Wu Jiatong, co-founder and president of Wu Promotion—a leading Chinese company specializing in the promotion of performing arts both domestically and abroad—was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary for his remarkable contributions to Hungarian-Chinese cultural relations. The honor was presented by Hungarian Ambassador to China Mate Pesti during a ceremony at the Hungarian Embassy in Beijing.

The Knight's Cross is among Hungary’s highest state honors, awarded to individuals whose exemplary achievements have significantly enriched Hungarian and universal human values. This accolade adds to the veteran Chinese impresario's distinguished record, which includes the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art, conferred in 2021.

“Hungary and China share a long and vibrant cultural relationship. But let us be honest: relationships between nations do not build themselves. They are built by individuals—by those who are willing to invest time, energy, and often take risks to bring two cultures closer together,” Pesti said. “Mr Wu Jiatong is one of those individuals who makes this possible.”

Born in 1967 and raised in Beijing and Shanghai, Wu studied electrical engineering in Vienna, where he immersed himself in the city’s rich cultural life, frequently attending concerts and opera. At the age of 24, he and his father, Wu Zezhou, founded Wu Promotion in 1991. It was one of China’s first private event management and performing arts promotion companies and has since grown into one of Asia’s leading agencies.

“When my father and I decided to found Wu Promotion, classical performing arts had little presence in the commercial market in China and Chinese culture was still relatively little known to Western audiences,” Wu said in his speech at the ceremony. “So we had a mission to promote classical performing arts in China and disseminate Chinese culture overseas.”

“I’ve never imagined in my career that the Hungarian government would give me such an extraordinary honor,” Wu said. “It is hugely inspiring for me to keep promoting cultural exchange between our two countries.”

Over the past 35 years, Wu has organized tours across China for world-renowned orchestras, opera houses, ballet companies, and theater ensembles from Europe, while also facilitating the international presence of major Chinese performing arts institutions.

“Through Wu Promotion, he has not simply organized concerts. He has created encounters,” Pesti said. “He has opened doors for Hungarian artists in China—but just as importantly, he has brought Chinese artists to Europe, helping them find their audience and their voice on the European stage.”

Wu received acclaim for his pivotal role in organizing the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s 2023 concert tour in China, led by Maestro Ivan Fischer. The tour attracted over 7,000 attendees across five performances. Fischer attended Wu’s award ceremony, accompanied by violinists Istvan Kadar and Alexey Stychkin, who performed Bela Bartok’s 44 Duos for Two Violins. Frequently ranked among the world’s top ten symphony orchestras, the Budapest Festival Orchestra was on its second China tour, with concerts scheduled from March 28 to 31 in Beijing and Shanghai.

Wu was also recognized by for his instrumental role in launching the Grand Chinese New Year Concert series at Mupa Budapest. Held annually for 12 years between 2012 and 2020, and resumed after the pandemic from 2024 onward, the concert series has featured prestigious ensembles by the China National Traditional Orchestra and the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra.

“Every year, the concert is a phenomenon,” Wu shared. “Tickets sell out in less than a week, attracting more than 1,000 Hungarian traditional Chinese music lovers.”

Wu Promotion’s other Hungary-related projects include facilitating the co-production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Attila by Shanghai Grand Theatre, Mupa Budapest, and Shanghai Opera House in 2012; bringing Puccini’s opera Turandot, performed by the China National Opera House, to the Budapest Spring Music Festival in 2016; and organizing the Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra’s guest performance in Budapest in 2024 to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Hungary and China.

Among all the Chinese performing arts works he has promoted in Hungary, Wu said he is most proud of Red Cliff, a Peking Opera production by the National Center for the Performing Arts. “We organized the opera’s tour in Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic in 2012, which was a huge success,” Wu recalled. “The tour showcased the unique charm of China’s national opera to European audiences and received critical acclaim everywhere it went.”

Looking ahead, Wu said his company will continue to advance cultural exchanges between the two countries, with plans to invite the Hungarian National Ballet to tour China, organize a Hungarian cinema exhibition at this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival, and potentially launch an orchestra-in-residence program featuring the Budapest Festival Orchestra in China next year.

“An international cultural performance promotes mutual learning among civilizations,” he concluded. “It not only creates a moment of mutual respect between people of different civilizations but also builds a bridge of friendship for deepening our mutual understanding.”