China's Grand Rivers Civilizations Exhibition Opens in Zhengzhou with Italian Collaboration

After multiple delays since 2020, the exhibition 'Civilizations of the Great Rivers' has finally opened at the Zhengzhou Museum in Henan province, China. The show compares ancient civilizations that flourished along the Nile, Euphrates, Tigris, Indus, Yellow River, and Yangtze River. It is a collaboration between the Zhengzhou Museum and four Italian institutions: the Museo Egizio, Musei Reali, Museo d'Arte Orientale di Torino, and Museo Barracco di Roma. The exhibition features 300 artifacts, half from 13 Chinese museums and half from Italian lenders. Curators include Christian Greco (director of Museo Egizio), Stefano de Martino (University of Turin), and sinologist Barbara Alighiero. The project was organized by Italian company Arteficio and fully funded by the Chinese government as part of the Italy-China Year of Culture and Tourism. The exhibition runs until June 3, 2023, then will tour China but not Italy. Daily visitor numbers are expected to peak at 19,000, up from the usual 8,000.