The Shanghai Museum is inviting visitors to bring their pet cats on special tours this summer as it kicked off a major exhibition on ancient Egyptian civilization on Wednesday which features feline-themed artifacts.
With nearly 800 pieces of artifacts on display at the Egyptian exhibition, the museum is opening evening tours from Tuesday to Friday during summer as regular time slot tickets were already sold out.
For evening slots, the museum is hosting 10 special cat-themed tours which allow the entrance of pet cats.
Organizers hope touring the Egyptian exhibition, seeing ancient cat statues as well as the cat goddess Bastet, and participating in interactive activities would be an equally unique experience for house cats and their owners.
"The Temple of Bastet was discovered at the archaeological site of Saqqara. So we planned the cultural and creative activity based on this theme. Having cats inside the museum is also a challenge for us. We want to ensure the safety of cultural artifacts while we host this event, so we are inviting many professional organizations to support us on this," said Li Feng, deputy director of the museum.
The exhibition, titled "On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt," was jointly sponsored by the Shanghai Museum and the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, and will run 13 months.
The museum is gradually releasing over 1,000 cultural and creative products themed around the Egyptian exhibition. It has also introduced VR activities and boat tours themed around the event.
Shanghai Museum invites visitors to bring their cats along for ancient Egypt exhibition
Malaysia has extended its visa-free entry for Chinese citizens for another five years, a move that has already led to a sharp rise in tourist arrivals and reinforced economic and diplomatic ties with China.
The initiative follows China's decision to waive visa requirements for Malaysian travelers in late 2023, triggering a two-way tourism boom between the two countries.
Popular destinations like the Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur are now filled with Chinese tourists taking advantage of the simplified entry process.
"The whole process is very simple. After arriving in Kuala Lumpur, we could use the self-service channel to tour Malaysia," said Nancy Niu, a Chinese tourist from Shandong.
For many, the ease of entry has changed travel plans.
"We'd originally planned to travel within China. But when we heard about the visa exemption, we decided to go to Malaysia. That made it very convenient. If you want to come during the May Day holiday, or National Day holiday, just for a few days, there's no need to apply for a visa, you can just come," said Louie Zhang, a Chinese visitor from Shenzhen.
Returning travelers are also noticing the difference.
"When I came to Malaysia before, there were too many steps. We had to queue in very long lines. Now, there's basically no queuing. It's very quick to clear immigration," said Wang Xiaofeng, a Chinese visitor from Sichuan.
Tourism operators are welcoming the policy extension as a long-term boost to the industry.
"This extension is very much welcome news because it has always been very good for the industry, looking towards China as one of its main source markets. This is going to mean that we're going to have a lot more time to plan, to really understand the Chinese market and to perhaps even cater to the new, upcoming trends that the Chinese tourists are looking for," said Nigel Wong, president of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents.
So far in 2025, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Malaysia has risen by around 30 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Wang.
Chinese tourist arrivals soar as Malaysia extends visa waiver
