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Shanghai Museum Welcomes Feline Visitors to Peruse Egyptian Cat Imagery at ‘Meow Night’

A cat visitor poses with its owner in the entrance hall of Shanghai Museum's "Meow Night" in Shanghai, China, August 31, 2024. (Reuters)
A cat visitor poses with its owner in the entrance hall of Shanghai Museum's "Meow Night" in Shanghai, China, August 31, 2024. (Reuters)
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Shanghai Museum Welcomes Feline Visitors to Peruse Egyptian Cat Imagery at ‘Meow Night’

A cat visitor poses with its owner in the entrance hall of Shanghai Museum's "Meow Night" in Shanghai, China, August 31, 2024. (Reuters)
A cat visitor poses with its owner in the entrance hall of Shanghai Museum's "Meow Night" in Shanghai, China, August 31, 2024. (Reuters)

Shanghai Museum has pulled in crowds this summer for an exhibition of ancient Egyptian relics including cat statues and other feline imagery, and which on Saturday nights allows up to 200 visitors to bring along their own four-legged friends.

Inspired ancient Egyptians' worship of Bastet, the goddess of protection - often depicted as a cat - the museum has given cats the chance to interact with part of the exhibition called "The Secrets of Saqqara".

"Egyptian archaeological teams discovered a cat temple in Saqqara and unearthed many cat mummies and cat statues. So when we were planning the event, we had cats as a theme, and then came the idea for 'Meow Night'," said Shanghai Museum Deputy Director Li Feng.

The "Top of the Pyramids: Ancient Egyptian Civilization Exhibition" began on July 19 and runs until Aug. 17, 2025, with "Meow Night" planned for at least 10 Saturdays. It has held six so far with tickets, including 200 bring-a-cat tickets, selling out each time.

Visitors bring their cats in carriers or pet strollers and can take them out only at designated areas, such as for a photo opportunity next to a statue of Bastet.

The cats are checked on entry to ensure up-to-date vaccinations and for signs of illness or stress. There are veterinarians onsite and rest areas for cats in case the stimulation from their night at the museum gets a bit much.

"It's very special that you can bring a cat with you," said visitor Qiu Jiakai who was attending "Meow Night" with one-year-old puss An Mao.

"I listened to the narrator's introduction saying ... many of today's pet cats are related to the cats domesticated in ancient Egypt. So I thought I would have to bring my cat here to see its ancestors and the cat goddess," she said.

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Beijing's Imperial Palace Bustles With Throngs of Visitors in Qing Dynasty Costumes

Chinese girls dressed in Qing dynasty attire take pictures outside the Drum Tower at Gulou East Street in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/ Vincent Thian)
Chinese girls dressed in Qing dynasty attire take pictures outside the Drum Tower at Gulou East Street in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/ Vincent Thian)
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Beijing's Imperial Palace Bustles With Throngs of Visitors in Qing Dynasty Costumes

Chinese girls dressed in Qing dynasty attire take pictures outside the Drum Tower at Gulou East Street in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/ Vincent Thian)
Chinese girls dressed in Qing dynasty attire take pictures outside the Drum Tower at Gulou East Street in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/ Vincent Thian)

In Beijing’s Forbidden City, once the sprawling palace to China’s Ming and Qing emperors and their legions of guards and servants, steady streams of visitors wearing historical costumes pose for portraits, in a fashion of centuries gone by.
It’s a phenomenon seen around heritage sites across China, inspired by comic book conventions and the Japanese passion for cosplay, but with additional nationalistic and cultural dimensions, The Associated Press said.
Though the historical veracity of the frocks and cloaks may not be guaranteed, they draw their inspiration from Chinese painting, theater and art, especially that of the Qing, China’s last dynasty that was known for its relative prosperity and cultural advances through trade in silk and porcelain.
During this time, China expanded its empire and its art and paintings flourished, as did clothing and textiles. Men and women wore full length elaborately embroidered silk robes and women wore hairpieces encrusted with flowers, pearls and gemstones.
The Qing fell in 1911 and following decades of warfare, power was seized by the Communist Party, which sought to grind out all vestiges of China’s imperial past.
With the abandonment in recent years of hard-core Maoism and rising prosperity, it is now common to see whole families decked out in Qing Dynasty garb, some of which is homemade, others rented from vendors at photo shoots who will also provide help with hairstyles and makeup.
Popular historical TV dramas and the rise of social media have fed the craze, and while they don’t involve battle reenactments like those popular in the US and Europe, they reflect a growing respect for China’s history in the centuries before the communist takeover. Some participants base their looks on characters from novels, plays and poems going back centuries.
Throngs of people gather along the walls and a scenic moat surrounding the former palace — now a museum that is resplendent in weeping willows and turning colors during the late summer and early fall. Both professional and amateur photographers shop their samples to families and couples. Others in imperial dress take turns with their phone cameras. A group of students from the elite Tsinghua University celebrated their end of semester with a costume photo.
Despite the sweltering Beijing summer heat, families, friends and couples pose with a smile, sweat dripping down foreheads. It’s a serious affair, necessitating the right pose, the perfect prop and the ideal camera angle. And when everything is in place, they slip back in time — feeling like royalty and fulfilling a fantasy — however briefly with others like them living otherwise ordinary lives.