Hong Kong exhibition celebrates ancient culture, nurtures exchanges

The Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums exhibition at the Hong Kong Palace Museum attracted more than 670,000 visitor trips and generated over HK$33 million ($4.21 million) in revenue from related creative products over its nine-month-long run.

At a news conference held ahead of the exhibition's closure on Monday, representatives from both the museum and Egypt hailed the show as a landmark event that significantly improved China-Egypt cultural exchanges.

Launched on Nov 20, 2025, the city's largest exhibition on ancient Egyptian culture showcased 250 treasures from seven leading Egyptian museums and sites, reflecting nearly 5,000 years of history.

A highlight of the exhibition was a cutting-edge art-tech installation using dynamic projection mapping to virtually reconstruct a 2.85-meter-tall statue of Tutankhamun — a young pharaoh from the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt — with its original colors restored.

The exhibition not only brought international masterpieces to the city, it also offered audiences an inspiring cultural experience through pioneering digital technologies and innovative curatorial approaches, said Louis Ng Chi-wa, museum director. Ng said half of the 670,000 visits were made by local residents, while non-local visitors were mainly from the Chinese mainland and across Southeast Asia. The museum rolled out around 170 exhibition-themed merchandise items for the event, including black cat plush figures, blind boxes, exhibition catalogs, and children's books.

It also collaborated with public transportation operators and merchants to launch creative promotional campaigns.

According to Ng, over 12,000 people joined the museum's membership program during the exhibition period.

The exhibition and related sales success illustrate the power of high-quality cultural merchandise and the growth potential of cultural and creative industries, said Ng. "Moving forward, we will continue to roll out more high-quality cultural and creative products," he added.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt.

Ng said the multimedia installations used in the exhibition won high appreciation from Egyptian representatives and will be given as gifts to the nation.

Hisham El-Leithy, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, which co-organized the exhibition, said the exhibition served as an important milestone in cultural exchanges between Egypt and China, laying a solid foundation for bilateral cultural cooperation.

He said the exhibition's conclusion was also an invitation to further strengthen cultural exchanges between Egypt and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

On the final day of the event, hundreds of visitors lined up outside the exhibition hall for a glimpse into ancient Egyptian culture.

Hong Kong resident Wong came with her family. "I visited the exhibition in April, and it still feels impressive," she said.

Waiting in line for 45 minutes was worthwhile, she added. "Otherwise, we may need to go to Egypt to learn about it."

City resident Jo, originally from the United Kingdom, spoke highly of the exhibition's quality.

"I'm surprised that there are so many visitors on a workday," she added.