China and Egypt brought to London

Anyone visiting London in the last quarter of 2007 can spice up their visit with a dash of Chinese and Egyptian culture. China’s Terracotta Army and the treasures of Egypt’s Tutankhamun are coming to town, two experiences I am not missing out on!

The First Emperor – China’s Terracotta Army

I went to see the Terracotta Army in Xian, China in 1996. However, the British Museum promises that their The First Emperor – China’s Terracotta Army exhibition will include more recent discoveries, so I’m planning to go see the amazing statues again.

Unlike most of the exhibitions held at the British Museum, the Terracotta Army exhibition will not be free, but the £12 admission fee does not seem unreasonable to me.

The exhibition does not open until 13 September 2007 and runs till 6 April 2008, but it is already possible to pre-book tickets. Visit The British Museum’s website for more information on how to pre-book.

If you want to learn more about the Terracotta Army, you may wish to visit China Daily’s e-zine Ni Hao. Its latest issue is running a well illustrated feature on the Terracotta Army.

Tutankhamun and The Golden Age of The Pharaohs

My only real experience with Egyptian culture was a mere 9-hour business stay in Cairo some years ago now. So I’ve already made sure that I won’t be missing out on the Tutankhamun and The Golden Age of The Pharaohs exhibition, by pre-registering.

35 years have passed since the treasures from the boy-king’s tomb were last in London in 1972. The exhibition, which is currently in Philadelphia till the 30 September, is planned to open in London on 15 November. Unfortunately the famous golden mask will not be coming to London as it is too delicate to travel. But judging from the popularity of the exhibition in Philadelphia, it looks like anyone going is in for a treat.

No information has been published though on just how long the exhibition will be staying in London. So if you want to make sure you get tickets, you might want to pre-register like I did. Pre-registering is currently free and provides you with a certificate that garantees you the ability to buy tickets for the exhibition before they go on sale to the general public. To pre-register and for more information about the exhibition visit the Tutankhamun and The Golden Age of The Pharaohs exhibition website.

The exhibition venue, The O2 in Greenwich, will hopefully be an interesting visit in itself. The O2 centre, which is set to open its doors in July 2007, is replacing the infamous Millennium Dome that the British government built to celebrate the beginning of the new millennium. I never bothered with a visit to the Dome during its short life, but I look forward to vising The O2, whose owner is promising “Europe’s leading entertainment destination – a new city-within-a-city for Londoners and the world to explore and enjoy.” For more information about what will be on at The O2, visit the official O2 website.

Technorati Tags: travel, London, Terracotta Army, Tutankhamun