The ancient Egyptians were cat people. They prized them not just as pets but as predators that could keep snakes, rats and other pests in check. They worshipped a cat goddess, revered as the guardian of the home. They also sacrificed cats, wrapping their bodies in linen before burying them as offerings to the divine. So great was the demand for cats to mummify that temples bred them specially for the purpose.
That is one of the things you can learn at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which is exhibiting mummified cats and other, shinier treasures from ancient Egypt in a blockbuster show that will end in August. The fun is not confined to the museum. In metro stations around the city, you can pose next to „pharaoh cat”, a cartoonish mascot, and translate your name into hieroglyphs (Chaguan’s name includes two vultures, a jar stand and a quail chick).
De redactie van NRC selecteert de beste artikelen uit The Economist voor een breder perspectief op internationale politiek en economie.
The plan to build the museum was unveiled almost ten years ago, backed by China’s central government to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s „return to the motherland” in 1997. Not everyone was grateful. Back then, many Hong Kongers were confident and irascible enough to point out that no one had asked them if they wanted the gift. Things are different now. The covid-19 pandemic—sandwiched between a spate of anti-government protests and a spell of high interest rates—kneecapped Hong Kong’s economy. Tough new national-security laws also gutted any public opposition to the mainland authorities. Today the city is eager to win any favours it can get from Beijing.
