Henan museum enchants visitors with immersive tour of ancient tombs

The Luoyang Museum of Ancient Tombs in central China's Henan Province introduces live performances and interactive games inside tomb replicas to relive historical stories and figures and engage visitors in more immersive ways to learn about tomb culture and history.

Armed with a "tomb exploration pass," visitors are invited to navigate hyper-realistic replicas of 10 historical tomb sites, where professional actors portraying ancient "tomb owners" help unravel historical mysteries through interactive puzzles and dramatic storytelling.

The new program takes visitors further from traditional walks and tours through exhibits and galleries, drawing large crowds during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday. The traditional Chinese festival, also called Tomb-Sweeping Day for paying tribute to the dead and worshipping ancestors, fell on April 4 this year.

"It's a nice and novel experience. This museum theme and performance style are something I've never seen before, and it has given me a whole new way to enjoy a museum," a tourist marveled.

The Luoyang Museum of Ancient Tombs, located in Henan's Luoyang City, is China's premier museum dedicated to tomb artifacts and burial traditions. Its six-meter-deep underground exhibition space houses a remarkable reconstruction of 25 ancient tombs spanning from Han Dynasty (202 BC- 220) to Song (960-1279) and Jin Dynasties (1115-1234). Its four main corridors are designed with rammed earth walls, creating an authentic tomb passage feel. Visitors can touch the tomb chamber walls, bricks, stone carvings, and murals, allowing them to experience the ancient burial structures up close.

The museum welcomed over 11,000 visitors on Friday alone, the first day of the Qingming Festival holiday.

Henan museum enchants visitors with immersive tour of ancient tombs

The death toll in the war-torn Gaza Strip has risen to 71,800 since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on Oct 7, 2023, with the number of injuries reaching 171,555, Gaza's health authorities said on Monday.

In the past 24 hours, hospitals in Gaza received five more bodies and four injured patients, the authorities said.

A large number of victims are still reportedly buried under the debris of destroyed buildings but due to safety conditions, emergency and civil defense teams have not been able to reach some sites.

On Monday, the first group of wounded and ill Palestinians crossed from the Gaza Strip into Egypt, marking a key step in the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.

Palestinian sources said five patients, accompanied by 10 relatives or caregivers, were transported from southern Gaza into Egypt for medical treatment. While the agreement facilitates two-way movement, no Palestinians have yet re-entered the enclave from the Egyptian side.

The movement follows the partial reopening of the Rafah crossing, Gaza's sole gateway to the outside world not controlled by Israel. The terminal had remained largely shuttered since Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of the border in May 2024, a move that deepened the humanitarian crisis for Gaza's 2.3 million residents.

The crossing reopened on a trial basis on Sunday before expanding operations on Monday under the terms stipulated for the second phase of a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire.

Under the current arrangement, approximately 150 Palestinians are permitted to exit Gaza daily, and up to 50 Palestinians are allowed to enter the enclave from Egypt.

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 71,800: health authorities