Exhibits are showcased at an exhibition titled "The Last Days of Pompeii" at Universal Creative Park in Beijing, capital of China, March 18, 2025. (China Dream Live Entertainment/Handout via Xinhua)
BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Have you ever imagined the life of the people in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, and how they must have felt when Mount Vesuvius erupted?
An exhibition at Universal Creative Park in Beijing, titled "The Last Days of Pompeii," allows audiences to experience the final moments of Pompeii from a first-person perspective. Running from Tuesday this week to Aug. 31, the exhibition was jointly launched by China Dream Live Entertainment (CDE Live) and Madrid Artes Digitales (MAD).
It not only showcases archaeological artifacts discovered in Italy, but also provides an immersive experience for visitors via video and projection. By putting on VR headsets, visitors can travel back in time to almost 1,900 years ago -- finding themselves strolling in an ancient courtyard, exploring the villa of a Roman family, and attending a gladiator fight in a packed amphitheater.
"Pompeii is one of the major topics in history, and the city is so well preserved due to the fact that all the volcano ash covered it and really captured that moment," said Jelle de Jong, CEO of MAD.
He also told Xinhua that by using modern technology, they are attempting to take audiences "back to the old days of Pompeii and let them feel what was like to live there."
Zhu Ranhua, CEO of CDE Live, which brought this exhibition to China, noted that they hope this exhibition will inspire people to cherish the happiness they encounter in their daily lives.
The exhibition was previously staged in Madrid, Vienna and Berlin, where it attracted more than 500,000 visits combined.
Zhu and her team made some changes for the China stop to make the exhibition more suitable for local audiences. For instance, they added the courtyard experience in a bid to reveal details of the artistic life of Roman people back then. They also launched postcards which can be stamped by people to document their visits -- as stamp collecting has become a popular hobby among young Chinese.
When asked if the volcano eruption scene would be scary for children, Zhu dismissed the concern. "I once asked a five-year-old girl if she was afraid, and she shook her head," said Zhu. "They see disasters, but they also see more beautiful things at the exhibition, such as the prosperous culture that we marvel at."
Míriam Huéscar, curator of the exhibition, said that the ultimate aim of the exhibition is to bring people around the world closer by revealing the cultural roots and ancient foundations of many peoples, and not only that of Europe. "Culture is the key to communication between East and West," she said in an interview with Xinhua. "It is a very useful tool to get to know other people, to learn about them and their customs -- and thus understand them better."
This view was shared by Jelle de Jong, who believes that during the past week of preparation for the exhibition, he had already learned a lot about Chinese culture.
The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union. "I have noticed that cross-cultural exchanges between the cultures are getting more and more frequent," he said.
Thanks to this increase of exchanges, resulting from the improvement of people's living standards and China's opening up, Zhu has observed that Chinese people are increasingly interested in and accepting of cultural events with Western themes.
Last year, a Mariah Carey concert in China attracted fans from across the country, while shows like "The Phantom of the Opera" also proved successful.
Notably, Zhu is also witnessing Chinese culture becoming more and more popular among young people. "Our traditional culture is equally fascinating," she said, while adding that they are now planning an exhibition featuring Chinese culture -- which they will take to Europe. ■
This photo taken on March 18, 2025 shows an immersive exhibition venue during an exhibition titled "The Last Days of Pompeii" at Universal Creative Park in Beijing, capital of China. (China Dream Live Entertainment/Handout via Xinhua)
Visitors use VR headsets while visiting an exhibition titled "The Last Days of Pompeii" at Universal Creative Park in Beijing, capital of China, March 18, 2025. (China Dream Live Entertainment/Handout via Xinhua)
