Interestingly, what Europeans regard as "Chinese wallpaper" would not be seen as such by the Chinese; instead, they would view it as Chinese-inspired imagery created solely for a European market.
Despite its distinct Chinese design, it did not appeal to Chinese consumers but became highly popular in Europe.
Watch the Trace of China series here:
https://tinyurl.com/bdd2b3pz
#tracesofchina
Despite its distinct Chinese design, it did not appeal to Chinese consumers but became highly popular in Europe.
Watch the Trace of China series here:
https://tinyurl.com/bdd2b3pz
#tracesofchina
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NewsTranscript
00:00The desire for exotic items from the East was fueled by a European perception of China's
00:12cultural sophistication, and the aspiring upper classes couldn't get enough.
00:18Interestingly, wallpaper such as this was only produced for the growing Western demand.
00:24The Chinese themselves had no interest in such detailed wall coverings.
00:30The motifs in Chinese wallpaper were born out of a history of botanical study.
00:36The Chinese would make silk scrolls or paper scrolls, which were brought out for auspicious
00:40occasions and hung as decoration.
00:43But at some point, somebody looked at those scroll paintings and said, why don't we take
00:48this scroll, turn it on its side, put two or three next to each other and paint one
00:53story across them.
00:54Some of the common symbols from earlier wallpapers included cranes for long life, pairs of birds
01:01for matrimonial harmony, peaches for health, and pomegranates for fertility.
01:08It's interesting, isn't it, that people in China wouldn't see this as Chinese wallpaper.
01:13They would see it as Chinese-related imagery in a European wallpaper.