Take a virtual reality journey to ancient Egypt in Shanghai
People can discover places closed to the public, richly decorated galleries, and funeral rooms.
People can now take a unique journey to ancient Egypt thanks the debut of virtual reality show Horizon of Khufu in the city over the weekend.
Horizon of Khufu, a 45-minute virtual and interactive show, invites visitors to take a virtual expedition to discover the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
It's on show in a 500-square-meter space in the HKRI Taikoo Hui, a shopping complex in downtown Nanjing Road W. The show hall is just upstairs through the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, the biggest Starbucks in Shanghai.
A cat sculpture welcomes visitors.
With a connected backpack and a HTC virtual reality headset, visitors can immediately travel to the foot of the tomb of King Khufu.
The virtual guide, including a cat goddess from Egyptian legends, will unveil secrets of this pyramid and inhabitants.
This augmented reality experience also allows people to discover places closed to the public, richly decorated galleries, funeral rooms and even climb all the way to the top of the pyramid to observe Cairo's city view as it is now.
The journey ends with a jump back in time: boarding a funeral bark on the Nile to attend King Khufu's funerals.
Mio, a tech editor in Shanghai, said she was "impressed and surprised" by the show as the VR effects and definition are "far beyond expectations."
But she complained the backpack was a little heavy for the 45 minute's walk.
Board a ship for your journey.
VR creates unprecedented cultural experiences using cutting-edge technology and helps digital artists practice innovation and preserve world heritage and culture.
It offers a new interactive mode that can accommodate large audiences to experience simultaneously, pushing the boundaries of the physical, said Ye Xinyu, HTC VIVE Arts' director in China.
The Shanghai event is the first time the show has been held outside of France, and is also its first exhibition in Asia. In its world premiere in Paris for four months from June to October last year, it attracted more than 50,000 visitors.
People need to wear a backpack and VR glasses during the show.
If you go:
Venue: L3 Hall, HKRI Taikoo Hui
Address: 789 Nanjing Road W.
Admission: 268 yuan
Time: May 13 to August 27
How to get there: Metro Line 2/12/13
