The farewell ceremony was led by Prof. Dr. Tamás Antal, Vice Dean for Academic and General Affairs; Prof. Dr. Krisztina Karsai, Director of the Gateway Program; and Dr. Tao Qian, the newly appointed Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute.

The event was opened by the Vice Dean. In his address, he reflected on the Gateway Program’s Opening Ceremony held three months earlier, noting not only how quickly the past thirteen weeks had passed, but also how much knowledge and experience the Chinese students had gained during this period. He expressed his hope that the students found the weeks spent in Szeged to be just as rewarding as they had anticipated at the start of the semester, and that they would always look back on their memories of Hungary with fondness.

In her speech, Professor Karsai emphasized that the primary objective of the Gateway Program, launched fourteen years ago, has been to develop a group of young Chinese intellectuals who are familiar with the European legal system and economy, understand Europe’s legal and political challenges, and are able to respond to them. She underlined that acquiring this knowledge presents a significant challenge for Chinese students every year; however, this year’s results speak for themselves, as all twenty-one participants successfully met the academic requirements and completed the semester with excellent results. In closing, she stressed that the University of Szeged would warmly welcome them back in the future, whether as students or as professionals.

Dr. Tao highlighted that the Gateway exchange program offers far more than a purely academic experience, as it enables Chinese students to return home enriched not only intellectually but also culturally. In addition to expanding their legal knowledge, students learned to appreciate differences, respect diverse perspectives, and build new international friendships. She also emphasized that adapting to new customs, a new language, and different ways of thinking over the past months has helped the students become open-minded members of society, which is an essential quality in today’s globalized world.