“I feel like I just came back from visiting Egypt!” exclaimed my friend after her experience at the “Horizon of Khufu” exhibition at Phoenix Center. “It’s even better than my in-person visit to Egypt,” reported another friend. After hearing all the rave, I decided I had to see it for myself.
The “Horizon of Khufu” exhibition is “A unique VR expedition to discover the wonders of Egypt,” as their marketing proclaims. You “get to explore the Giza Plateau and the Great Pyramid of Giza as if you were really there,” it hypes. Being no stranger to VR gaming experiences, I believe I can be more objective than my VR-virgin friends who were so impressed by this exhibition. My verdict? It’s definitely worth a visit.
This traveling exhibition has already been in London, Montreal, and Atlanta before coming to Beijing. So rest assured that language is not an issue, as you can choose from English, Chinese, and French for the whole thing.
The 45-minute VR experience requires you to wear VR goggles that are among the most comfortable and stable I’ve worn – not slipping or shifting, no matter how vigorously I moved around. The goggles are also compatible with spectacles.
PRO TIP: You’ll enter the exhibition in groups of 2 to 4 people maximum, so plan accordingly.
The tour begins with you inside a tent in Egypt at night, with an enthusiastic but somewhat fumbling guide bringing you on an exclusive after-dark VIP tour of the Great Pyramid of Giza. That sounds innocent enough to start and gives you time to get used to moving around the space without walking into the walls, which are depicted as red barriers in your goggles. Then about the time when you start getting comfy, things get interesting when the lights go out and the goddess Bast shows up as a giant floating cat… I shan’t spoil it any further, though; you should definitely experience it yourself!
For jingkids readers there will be an exclusive tote bag or other free gifts when you follow the official “Horizon of Khufu” account on WeChat and show them that you’re following the jingkids official WeChat account as well.
WeChat ID: jinzhaowenlv2024
The Horizon of Khufu exhibition is currently running until Aug 25 at Phoenix Center, close to Chaoyang Park. Tickets are RMB 238/adult and RMB 198/child on weekdays, and RMB 298/pax on weekends. Children below 1.1m are not allowed to enter. You can buy your tickets at the door, or online on popular ticketing platforms like Dianping by searching 胡夫地平线.
Find it:
Hufu Skyline – Pyramid Chenjin Shitansuo Tiyanzhan 胡夫地平线—金字塔沉浸式探索体验展
Phoenix Center, 3 Chaoyang Park Nanlu (Chaoyang Park subway station northwest entrance & Exit A, 340 Meters), Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝阳公园南路3号
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Images: Courtesy of Horizon of Khufu, Today Travel 今朝文旅