The footprints of cats on the ground guide people to visit, the mysterious sound of cats being heard around them, and the figures of cats jumping on the walls...... The "Secrets of Saqqara" exhibition in the "Top of the Pyramids: Ancient Egypt Civilization Exhibition" being held at the Shanghai Museum reproduces a newly discovered "cat temple" in the Saqqara region of Egypt, and displays a number of cat-related artifacts.
Exhibition view by Lai Xinlin
In ancient Egypt, the cat god Bastet was gentle and peaceful, and was regarded as a symbol of protection and spirituality, which coincides with the love of "cats" today. For this exhibition, Shanghai Expo plans to hold 10 "Museum Strange Meow Night" activities on Saturday night, and the audience can bring their pet cats to visit the exhibition together, which is the first of its kind in the world's comprehensive museums. The first event will take place this Saturday evening.
Some cat owners have already started to prepare for their pets: consulting and purchasing relevant equipment, making themed clothing, and taking "Egypt wind" photos...... But some pet owners are worried about whether cats can adapt to going out in public compared to their outgoing pet dogs. And if pets enter comprehensive museums, will they have an impact on the visit of ordinary audiences?
The pet cat "ancient Egypt style" on the Little Red Book is popular
It is understood that the "Museum Strange 'Meow' Night" activity is limited to 2,000 visitors per event, and a maximum of 200 cats can be brought to the exhibition. Tickets for the event need to be purchased separately, and the tickets are divided into "pet tickets", "adult tickets without pets" and "children without pets", and the audience with "cat audiences" is limited to 200 per show. Tickets went on sale on July 19 at 12 noon on Ctrip. The reporter saw on Ctrip that all the "pet tickets" have been sold out. During the event, visitors can take photos with their pets in the cat temple area of the "Secrets of Saqqara" exhibition hall, and can also experience projects such as "Traveling to Egypt with Pets", "Group Photo of Giant Cat Sculpture", "Cat's Paw Interaction" and "Cat's Paw Message", and have the opportunity to get exclusive cat cultural and creative gifts.
"As soon as Shangbo announced that it would hold an event to see the exhibition with cats, I paid attention to it." Ms. Tang, who has lived in Shanghai for many years, is not only a lover of museums but also a pet lover, and the idea of taking cats to see the exhibition makes her and many friends who have cats very excited, and they set an alarm clock early to grab tickets. "The first time I bought a ticket for August 10, because it wasn't the first one, the rush was quite smooth."
In her opinion, the Shanghai Museum's launch of the exhibition with pets is an innovative and bold attempt. Because of her love for ancient Egypt civilization, she had already taken an early bird ticket to Shangbo last weekend to get a sneak peek. "There are a lot of cat mummies in this exhibit, as well as statues of cat gods and cat-inspired cultural creations, and I plan to take cats to worship the cat gods and meet their ancestors."
Ms. Tang recently traveled with her cat and brought cultural and creative products with ancient Egypt elements (Photo courtesy of interviewee)
However, there are also cat lovers who do not plan to bring their cats there. Lin Yan, a white-collar worker from a foreign company, has two cats at home, and she bought a "non-pet adult" ticket for the "Museum Strange 'Meow' Night" and went alone. "I can't take my cat out, and it's easy to stress when I come to a friend, let alone go to a public place like a museum." Lin said that he chose to visit the exhibition because he wanted to get the double happiness of visiting the exhibition and watching the cats, "The ratio of the audience to the cats is 10:1, and the vast majority of people can only see other people's cats." But I still like the fun and themed activities in Shanghai, where owners and pets can participate together. ”
On social media, there are also some pet lovers who question the "pet audience". Some netizens believe that "most cats are afraid of life and resist gathering, exposing timid or sensitive pet cats to crowded public places may induce cats' stress conditions", and some people are worried that some "pet owners do not necessarily know what level of public places their cats can accept", and some people even bluntly said that they have seen the art exhibition site with their own eyes, and some pet owners take cats to visit, cats are stressed on the spot, and their whole bodies tremble and bark.
However, some netizens said that many pet cats are now very socialized and even like to go out, and give examples of "cats and dogs can go together for many years at the pet expo", "there are also cats in Xuhui Binjiang to play", "pet restaurants will also celebrate cats' birthdays". But they also advise pet owners to conduct a comprehensive assessment of their pet cat's personality and physical condition, "Don't take your cat to such public events for fun or checking in." ”
Event poster
Ms. Tang has three cats at home: a 2-year-old Maine "Brahms" and the other two are stray cats picked up in the community. "This time, I'm going to take Brahms with me to the exhibition." She said that bringing "Brahms" is the only option, "Cats have very different personalities, Maine is known for its good character, only the three cats in the family are born with a 'social cow', I take it out for a walk, on the road meet children, dogs, it is very friendly and calm." The other two cats go out, one will scream, and the other will form a ball the whole time, and it is impossible to take them to this kind of activity. ”
In order to travel smoothly with the cat, there is still more than half a month before the event, and Ms. Tang has already begun to prepare. She told reporters that she specially prepared a cat cart, an ice pad to cool down, a drinking cup for cats to go out, and cat hormone spray, etc., "Maine cats are relatively large, weighing 20 pounds, and they have been too heavy in the cat bag." There are also curtains on the cat carts, which are closed if there is an emergency".
Ms. Tang told reporters that there are usually many cat gatherings in Shanghai, but most of them are in the twenty or thirty sizes, and this time 200 cats in the same venue space is not very common. "Before buying tickets, I carefully understood that Shangbo has very detailed visit requirements in the event planning, such as preparing a pet hospital ambulance, controlling the number of humans and cats entering the venue, and requiring a rabies vaccination certificate."
However, she also admits that she does have some worries, "I have already gone to see the exhibition, and this time I went purely to walk the cat, I will always observe the cat's state, and if I find it unwell, I will go home immediately." I believe that a responsible owner will be very aware of the attributes of their cats and will not force them to participate in inappropriate activities. ”
"In recent years, the pet economy has heated up, and pet lovers like me treat cats and dogs like children, they are very important." Ms. Tang said, "Shanghai is a very inclusive city, and when I go out for a walk with a cat cart, everyone will greet my cat in a friendly manner, which is a reflection of the degree of civilization in a city." I hope everyone will take this event more rationally. ”
Illustration of Ms. Tang's list of belongings for "Visiting the Exhibition with Cats" (photo provided by the interviewee)
The reporter learned from the Shanghai Expo that the regular night show of the exhibition is currently scheduled from Tuesday to Friday, and the audience is limited to about 3,000 to 4,000 people per show. In order to welcome these "cat audiences", it will be arranged separately on Saturday night, and the total number of people is limited to 2,000.
Shanghai Expo also purchased an activity insurance for each visitor of the "Museum Strange Meow Night", and invited qualified surgeons to be stationed on site to deal with visitor accidents urgently, and cooperated with experienced professional pet medical institutions to arrange pet cat practicing veterinarians to be stationed and pet cat medical service vehicles to be parked outside the museum. The staff will receive professional training on pet cats, and the pet industry personnel will assist in the operation. Cat-friendly devices, cat storage, cat mood stabilizers, and cat strollers are also available. After each event, the entire museum will be thoroughly disinfected, sterilized and deodorized to ensure the normal opening of the museum the next day.
Precautions for visiting with cats published by the Shanghai Museum on Xiaohongshu
At the same time, Shangbo also reminded the audience to confirm their cat's personality, social habits, age and health status to ensure that it is suitable to go out. Visitors with pets need to go to a regular pet hospital to issue a pet cat immunization certificate and show it when entering the museum, bring their own cat bag or pet stroller, as well as leash + chest and back and other items to control pets, and try to avoid pet cats gathering in the exhibition hall.
On social media, some visitors who are about to bring their pets to the "Museum Strange Meow Night" have reminded each other, made a list of "travel with cats" supplies, and also dressed their pet cats with various ancient Egypt elements to look forward to the atmosphere of the event.
"From the 24-hour opening of the museum to the overnight stay in the museum, from touching the raw materials of the exhibits to feeling the exhibits themselves, the 'opening method' of the museum is constantly being innovated." In the opinion of some industry insiders, although there is a certain uncertainty about the innovative experience compared to the mature museum visiting experience, it is still worth trying after preparation, "The place where human civilization is preserved should have unlimited potential." ”
Text/Shangguan News reporter Zhang Yi, Zhong Han, Jian Gongbo
Editor/Cui Wei