Advertisement
Hong Kong society
Hong KongSociety

‘Highest security standards’ at Hong Kong Palace Museum for ancient Egypt show

Museum is putting on show three Egyptian statues, including one weighing 1.8 tonnes, ahead of main exhibition

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
4
A 2.4-metre (7.9-foot) tall statue of the pharaoh Merenptah is uncrated at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. Photo: Sam Tsang
Jiang Chuqin

The Hong Kong Palace Museum has said that it will maintain “the highest international standards of security” and “best storage conditions” ahead of hosting the city’s largest and longest-running exhibition of ancient Egyptian treasures.

The museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District on Tuesday unveiled three Egyptian statues, including one weighing 1.8 tonnes, which will open to the public from Wednesday as a prelude to a special exhibition about ancient Egypt. Tickets went on sale last week.

The main exhibition, titled “Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums” with more than 250 items covering 4,000 years of history on display, will run from November 20 to August 31 next year.

Advertisement

“In response to the recent attention to the museum’s safety, we immediately called in our security team for a review,” Louis Ng Chi-wa, director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, said at the crate-opening ceremony on Tuesday.

“I am glad to say our safety measures fit the highest international standards.”

The seated statue of Lunit (left) and Shepenwepet II, a princess. Photo: Sam Tsang
The seated statue of Lunit (left) and Shepenwepet II, a princess. Photo: Sam Tsang

Museum safety was thrust into the spotlight recently after robbers broke into the world-famous Louvre in Paris earlier this month, stealing jewellery worth an estimated US$102 million in minutes.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x