Hong Kong Egypt exhibition closes after 670,000 visits

Summary

Key Points

• The exhibition was described as Hong Kong’s largest ancient Egyptian civilization show to date, with the highest-grade exhibits presented locally1
• It brought together 250 artefacts from seven major Egyptian museums, plus recent Saqqara archaeological finds spanning nearly 5,000 years of history1
• Visitors were split evenly between local residents and tourists, while mainland visitors accounted for about 40% of the overall attendance2
• The past two weekends each recorded more than 12,000 admissions, setting a new weekend attendance record since the museum opened2
• Around 170 exhibition-themed merchandise items generated more than HK$33 million in revenue, with blind boxes alone selling more than 100,000 units.12
• Before the exhibition closed, Supreme Council of Antiquities secretary-general H.E. Hisham El-Leithy visited Hong Kong and toured the galleries with museum director Louis Ng Chi-wa and acting Egyptian consul-general in Hong Kong and Macau Anas Shadi.1 During the visit, he exchanged views with the museum’s curatorial, merchandising and education teams and praised their professionalism and innovation1
• Ng said the museum had used professionalism and creativity to connect Chinese and global civilizations from a Hong Kong perspective, adding that digital technology and innovative curation helped turn top-tier artefacts into a thought-provoking public experience.1 He said the museum would continue to build on Hong Kong’s role as a hub for cultural and artistic exchange between China and the world, and hoped to deepen cooperation with Egyptian museum counterparts in exhibitions, research and digital innovation1
• El-Leithy said the exhibition marked an important milestone in cultural exchange between Egypt and China and laid a solid foundation for future cooperation.12 He also thanked the museum for donating a digital multimedia work of the Colossus of Tutankhamun to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and said he hoped more Egyptian treasures could be shown to audiences in China and across Asia1
• The exhibition was presented as a cultural milestone in the year marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Egypt in 2026.1 Its four themed sections featured more than 60 monumental statues of pharaohs and deities, inscribed painted stelae, eight sacred animal mummies, seven painted mummy coffins, mummy masks, royal jewellery and daily items used by nobles1
• The museum also expanded the exhibition’s reach through collaborations with more than 10 partners across tourism, public transport and lifestyle brands.1 Its “Pharaoh Cat” intellectual property proved especially popular through tie-ups including an MTR-themed roving display, a KMB “Pharaoh Cat” bus, limited Starbucks food and drink items, and promotions with the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort1

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