How to revive ancient Chinese wallpaper

CGTN Europe

Nearly every beautifully restored historic wallpaper in the UK and beyond owes its revival to one remarkable expert. For over forty years, Allyson McDermott has meticulously restored hundreds of antique wallpapers, from historic homes to royal palaces. #tracesofchina

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00:00Almost every gleaming example of beautifully restored historic wallpaper in the UK and

00:12beyond owes its new life to one person.

00:15Look at that.

00:17Whoa.

00:18Yeah, it's in quite a state, isn't it?

00:21Yeah.

00:22We will start by surface cleaning it using one of these incredible conservation smoke

00:26sponges which you can be very delicate with but are very, very effective.

00:30We will strip it off all these backings and this will horrify you.

00:35We'll give it a wash.

00:36Oh, wow.

00:38We have huge silk screens that we lay them on and spray water through.

00:43Every single colour gets tested to make sure that it's not going to be affected by water

00:47and we work out the timings exactly and then we line it onto paper as close to the original

00:53paper they would have used as possible.

00:55This is a beautiful handmade Chinese mulberry paper made from the inner bark of the mulberry

01:01tree.

01:02It's very soft.

01:03It is.

01:04And in washing it and treating it, it becomes like that again.

01:07You know, it gets its life back and its brilliance.

01:10I mean, look at the quality of painting.

01:12This is amazing.

01:13You can see all the tiny brush strokes.

01:14It's exquisite.

01:15Yes.

01:16I mean, this must have taken so long.

01:17It must have done.

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