China Focus: Grand exhibition on ancient Egyptian civilization opens in Shanghai | Partners | Belarus News | Belarusian news | Belarus today | news in Belarus | Minsk news | BELTA
SHANGHAI, 22 July (BelTA — Xinhua) — A grand exhibition on the ancient
Egyptian civilization, the largest of its kind held outside Egypt over
the past 20 years, opened Wednesday in Shanghai.
A total of 788
artifacts from Egypt, along with ancient Chinese artifacts, are on
display at the Shanghai Museum, offering visitors an artistic feast from
the two ancient civilizations.
The exhibition, «On Top of the
Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt,» is co-hosted by the
Shanghai Museum and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) of Egypt.
Curated
by Chinese scholars, the exhibition provides a comprehensive
presentation of ancient Egyptian civilization and showcases the latest
results of joint archaeological efforts between China and Egypt.
Luo
Wenli, deputy head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration,
hailed the exhibition as a bridge for dialogue between China and Egypt,
both ancient civilizations.
Among the exhibits are sculptures of
deities that reflect the myths and philosophy of ancient Egypt,
prehistoric painted pottery and cosmetic palettes, as well as treasures
from different dynasties and various pharaohs.
Yan Haiying, the
chief curator of the exhibition and a professor at Peking University,
said the exhibition is all-encompassing, noting that «a condensed
history of ancient Egyptian civilization is told in one exhibition.»
In
the second hall of the exhibition, over 400 newly unearthed artifacts
from Saqqara, an important burial site in ancient Egypt, are being
exhibited for the first time worldwide.
The hall also showcases
significant achievements from recent Sino-Egyptian joint archaeological
efforts. Recently, a digital survey and research project of the newly
unearthed artifacts from Saqqara was launched in Egypt. The project
primarily involves digitally scanning, photographing, organizing, and
researching thousands of wooden mummy coffins unearthed at the Saqqara
site.
Xue Jiang, the project leader and an Egyptology scholar
from Shanghai International Studies University, said in the future, a
database of the Sino-Egyptian joint archaeological research will be
established for global sharing and major findings are planned to be
released worldwide in Chinese, English, and Arabic.
Mohamed
Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the SCA of Egypt, said that the
exhibition showcases the splendor of ancient Egyptian civilization and
the diversity of Egyptian society.
He expressed the hope that all
the exhibits can become cultural ambassadors of Egypt. He also invited
the Chinese people to come to Egypt and experience its magnificent
civilization firsthand.
