In a striking affirmation of the global appetite for Egypt’s ancient civilizations, the Shanghai Museum announced that its landmark exhibition, “On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt,” has surpassed two million paid visits since opening in July 2024—making it the most attended ticketed exhibition among museums worldwide, according to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency.
The exhibition, a result of a close partnership between the Shanghai Museum and Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, offers an expansive and immersive exploration of one of history’s most storied civilizations. Running for 13 months until August 2025, it has not only set attendance records but also generated substantial revenue, with current operational earnings totaling 580 million yuan (approximately $80.62 million). The museum forecasts that both visitation and revenue figures will exceed 2.5 million visitors and 700 million yuan ($97.31 million), respectively, by the time the exhibition concludes.
At the heart of “On Top of the Pyramid” are more than 780 meticulously curated ancient Egyptian artifacts, many on international display for the first time, alongside dozens of ancient Chinese relics. The exhibition foregrounds a compelling curatorial theme: “Dialogue and Mutual Learning Between Civilizations”, aiming to interpret the grandeur of ancient Egypt through a distinctly Chinese cultural lens.
“This exhibition is not just a window into the past; it’s a bridge between cultures,” said Zhou Xiaobo, Director of the Shanghai Museum. “Through it, we underscore the unique civilizational perspective of China, the aesthetics of exhibition curation, the creativity in operations, and China’s cultural inclusiveness and economic vitality. Museums, I believe, are key to understanding contemporary China.”
The exhibition has also had a significant ripple effect on the local economy. According to sample survey data, the show has stimulated nearly 10 billion yuan ($1.39 billion) in related consumption across Shanghai—ranging from hospitality and retail to tourism services. This economic footprint underscores the growing influence of cultural tourism in China’s major urban centers.
Online engagement around the exhibition has been equally fervent. On the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, over 1.69 million posts have referenced ticket searches and visitor experiences related to “On Top of the Pyramid.” Social users have eagerly shared ticket-buying strategies, guided tour recommendations, and reviews of the exhibition’s highlights, contributing to a sustained wave of digital buzz.
This Sino-Egyptian collaboration exemplifies a new era of cultural diplomacy, one in which heritage and history become shared narratives rather than national treasures. It also points to China’s ambition to position itself not only as a custodian of its own millennia-old civilization but also as a global stage for interpreting and engaging with the legacies of others.
As cultural institutions worldwide grapple with post-pandemic recovery and the evolving expectations of international audiences, the success of “On Top of the Pyramid” signals a powerful lesson: that exhibitions grounded in authenticity, exchange, and emotional resonance can captivate the public—and in doing so, redefine the role of museums in the 21st century.
