The exhibition “On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt,” opened earlier this month at the Shanghai National Museum in China, is the largest of its kind to put on display some of Egypt’s ancient treasures, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy said on Tuesday 30/7/2024.
The expo has drawn a great number of visitors, as the Chinese people have a real fondness for culture and civilization, the minister added in his speech at a ceremony organized by the China Media Group (CMG) in cooperation with the Chinese Embassy in Cairo and the tourism ministry to mark the 10th anniversary of launching a comprehensive strategic partnership between Egypt and China.
A total of 250,000 tickets have been sold before inaugurating the exhibition, which attracted nearly 70,000 visitors during the first week only, Sherif said.
Hailing the booming relations between Egypt and China over the past decade, he said the “Egypt-China Partnership Year,” declared in a joint statement by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during the former’s historical visit to China in late May, had seen many examples of fruitful cooperation in various domains, including the tourism and antiquities sector.
There are three Chinese archaeological missions operating in Egypt, Sherif said, citing numerous cooperation agreements that could serve as a foundation stone for building a stronger relationship between both countries.
Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and President of China Media Group Shen Haixiong, Chinese Ambassador in Cairo Liao Liqiang, Chairman of Egypt’s National Media Authority Hussein Zein, and Chairman of the Egyptian Tourist Authority Amr El Kady, were prominent among those who participated in the ceremony.
The exhibition “On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt,” co-hosted by the Shanghai Museum and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) of Egypt, was opened at the Shanghai Museum on July 19, offering visitors an artistic feast from the ancient Egyptian civilization with 788 precious artifacts from Egypt to promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Egypt. The exhibition will run through August of 2025.
