In Europe, traces of China lie hidden in plain sight.
Chinese aesthetics have left an indelible mark on European culture, a legacy that has been shaped by generations of tradition and trade.
From the gilded cornices of the Palace of Versailles to the silk merchants of Venice, this series will explore how an insatiable hunger for Chinese art birthed distinctive styles that came to dominate their genres.
The influences can be traced back to the aspirations of European nobility, gradually filtering down to gain widespread popularity among the masses.
Today, these Chinese aesthetics have helped define many of Europe's unique cultural traditions.
Welcome to Traces of China
Wallpaper
If the walls could talk: an unconventional Chinese Room
The Chinese Room at Temple Newsam House in West Yorkshire is just one example of thousands across Europe's historic properties, where Chinese-inspired wallpapers from the 1700s still adorn walls, many preserved in darkness from sunlight and daily life.
"The Chinese room, or the Blue Room as it's sometimes referred to, is absolutely astounding."
The original wall coverings in this grand home were originally a gift to Lady Hertford in 1806 from the then Prince Regent, who would later go on to become George IV.
"She would go and visit him [the Prince Regent] at Brighton Pavilion, which is where she fell in love with the Oriental rooms that he had," Josh Turner, of Temple Newsam House, explains.
While Lady Hertford's story perfectly captures the aristocracy's fascination with Chinese-inspired décor, there is a twist.
She modified the wallpaper according to her own tastes, taking a pair of scissors and cutting out her favorite birds and butterflies from the pages of a popular book of the time - Audubon's The Birds of America. These, she pasted on the original wallpaper.
What she didn't know at the time is that the book would go on to become one of the most collectible in the world.
Hanging out with history: the art of wallpaper conservation
"When I walk into a room of Chinese wallpaper, it always blows me away. It's so exquisitely beautiful and it has so many stories to tell."
Allyson McDermott has spent four decades conserving Chinese-inspired wallpaper, much of which has been rescued from the walls of some of Britain's most illustrious homes.
The preservation process is both delicate and complex, but also somewhat brutal.
"Very often we are asked to go on site to these wonderful houses, and very often conclude that in order to conserve it, it needs to come off the wall," McDermott explains.
"We will strip it off all these backings and this will horrify you: we'll give it a wash.”
"Chinese wallpaper isn't an indigenous tradition. They didn't have this on their walls. It's a European confection,"
The wallpapers are then laid on huge silk screens and sprayed with water. Every single color is tested to ensure that it's not going to be affected. The papers are then treated using traditional techniques and materials.
Through this painstaking process, the linings are brought back to life, reviving original detail including individual brush strokes, a nod to the work of the original artisans.
"Its amazingly impressive because they were such incredibly talented artists. And the materials they were using are of such high quality," McDermott says.
Chinese-inspired wallpaper: a western creation, with cues from nature
Luxury wallpaper specialists de Gournay work closely with their clients, to design unique wallpaper installations that are then made in China, using traditional techniques such as the two brush method.
Dominic Evans-Freke, director of de Gournay, explains that motifs in Chinese wallpaper were originally born out of a history of botanical study.
"The Chinese would make silk scrolls or paper scrolls which were brought out for auspicious occasions and hung as decoration," says Evans-Freke.
"But at some point somebody looked at those scroll paintings and said 'Why don't we take this scroll, turn it on its side, put two or three next to each other and paint one story across them'."
Today, these elaborate wall coverings represent a fascinating example of cross-cultural commercial art, created specifically for the Western market.
"If you'd asked me 30 years ago, could there be as many reinventions of the product I would have struggled to believe it," he reflects.
From Chinese imagination to London walls: reinventing art and technique for a new audience
"If I can put it onto a roll of wallpaper that you can just buy at the shops, and you can have a full effect like this and feel just like those women of the 18th century, then that's amazing".
London-based artist Diane Hill represents the democratization of Chinoiserie.
After studying in China, she's dedicated herself to making this historically exclusive art form accessible to contemporary audiences.
"I'm really inspired by the antique Chinese wallpapers. And I wanted to create a modern version of this. So I use really bright fresh colors," she explains.
"I live for the summer and I wanted it to feel like a fresh, bright summer's day. So, like, you're waking up no matter what time of year, it could be winter, you're waking up and you have this feeling of being surrounded by nature."
Through social media, Hill shares traditional techniques with thousands of followers, marking a significant shift from Chinoiserie's historically exclusive roots.
Chinoiserie
From Nanjing to Versailles: a towering testament to artistry
A European craze for Chinoiserie began with a king's obsession and a grand construction in Versailles.
Louis XIV's Trianon de Porcelaine, inspired by the iconic Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, was an ambitious attempt to capture the elegance of Chinese design.
Built in the 1670s, it was intended to dazzle visitors with its exotic allure.
"If the Chinese can make a Chinese pagoda, let’s make a porcelain building in Versailles."
"The King's fascination with the East was immense," Yannick explains.
However, the structure didn't actually contain any porcelain—Europe lacked the knowledge to produce it. Instead, terracotta pots were glazed in white and blue to mimic the appearance of porcelain.
The Trianon's fragility ultimately led to its destruction within 15 years. "It was the first example of Chinoiserie," Yannick says, "but because it wasn't true porcelain, it didn't last."
Its influence, however, endured in other art forms, and helped give shape to Chinoiserie as we know it: a wealth of art and artifacts, inspired by China, but made in Europe.
"Even in marquetry (patterned wood veneers), you see Chinese-inspired motifs," Yannick notes, showcasing the enduring interplay of cultural aesthetics.
Enameled connections: a legacy of exchange
For Jacques Peiffer, a unique style of enameling and metalwork that he's dedicated his life to is a testament to the centuries of creative exchange between cultures.
"Cloisonné is very interesting to me because it has an intensity. Cloisonné brings volume and a play of light. It is this light that is important," says the French sculptor, who's been creating Longwy-style Cloisonné for 47 years.
"Art is human, and humans cannot do without their neighbors, whether next door or from far away."
A form of decorative metalwork, classic Chinese Cloisonné is a result of generations of exchange between Europe and China.
Jacques's 'Longwy Cloisonné', an art style synonymous with his hometown in northeastern France, goes even further in celebrating the fusion of Chinese inspiration with European techniques.
"Cloisonné enamels are (typically) recessed. The outline is in relief and the enamels are inset. In Longwy, it's the reverse. The black outline is inset and the enamels are in relief" he explains, showing how his designs blend styles while maintaining their unique identity.
For Jacques, this artistic evolution isn't just about techniques—but dialogue.
"We need to exchange points of view and materials," he says, reflecting on the power of collaboration across cultures.
A pagoda in Paris: Where cultures converge
The iconic Paris Pagoda offers a glimpse into the allure of authentic Chinese art.
Built in 1926 as a center for Asian art dealings, the building combines traditional Chinese architectural elements with its Parisian surroundings.
"Art has no frontiers. It is a silent ambassador for culture and civilization."
"The lacquer walls and window lacing mirror the Forbidden City," says Pagoda director Jacqueline von Hammerstein-Loxten, detailing the craftsmanship that captivated early 20th-century Europe.
Beyond its beauty, the pagoda symbolizes a shift from Chinoiserie's romanticized interpretations to a deeper appreciation of genuine Chinese artistry.
"C.T. Loo, the original owner, introduced Western audiences to authentic Chinese works, helping them recognize the genius of their creators," she explains, underscoring art's role as a cultural bridge.
At its essence, Chinoiserie is about inspiration and fantasy, a romantic interpretation of Chinese art that is both unique and a celebration of its origins.
Gardens
Rock, water, building: When nature replaces order
The earliest record of Chinese garden design was in 500 BC in the city of Suzhou, often referred to as the birthplace of classical Chinese gardens. Principles developed in Suzhou soon spread across China, and onto the rest of the world.
Before the influences and practice of Chinese design reached British shores in the 18th century, English gardens were built around the rigid geometry and controlled symmetry of the French and Italian styles. This formality was revolutionized by Chinese garden design principles, which sought to bring natural landscapes into the garden space.
The Chinese approach wasn't about imposing geometric order but distilled the essence of nature's grandeur into intimate spaces.
"Chinese gardens are supposed to mimic the whole of nature. So that's why you need water, because you need a lake. You need mountains so you have stones, and you need flowers and buildings as well."
Colin and Penny's "Garden of 10,000 Shadows" is set on a steep chalk hillside with a beechwood as backdrop. It features Chinese 'rooms' separated by walls, hedges and gateways and also includes a Chinese pavilion.
Gardens imitating art: The Scroll of a Thousand Miles of Rivers & Mountains
Chinese garden design is heavily influenced by Chinese landscape painting, and this is most apparent in the Scroll of a Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains, a 12m-long masterpiece considered to be one of the greatest achievements in Chinese art history.
"Once you've seen this, you'd really start to make philosophical connections between Chinese landscape painting and Chinese gardens."
"These elegant lines are more difficult than the straight lines. You really have to train your hands and also have to train your eyes," says Dr Yang.
In January 2025, Dr Yang was awarded one of the highest British honours, an OBE – The Order of the British Empire.
A view, borrowed then adapted
Steadily the principles that underpinned the Chinese garden started to permeate the British consciousness. One of these is the idea of the borrowed view, where a garden benefits from a backdrop or landscape beyond its own limits. It is widely used in British landscape planting but is ultimately inherited from the Chinese tradition.
"There's a whole science attached to this."
"You have distant borrowed views, which are mostly mountains. You have adjacent views which could be other buildings. And the idea is you make use of objects which can be seen, which are actually beyond the garden itself. But you calculate very precisely where to put your garden features to make use of those distant views. So instead of everything being laid out like a geometrical pattern you've got a much more natural garden with a sequence of surprises," says Conner.
Urban drift: Chinese plants set seed in the British cityscape
A love affair which bloomed originally in the grand estates of the aristocracy gradually filtered into Britain's urban spaces.
When you encounter Chinese plants in a city setting, their impact on the British planting palette is perhaps most evident. Shrubs that seem so "quintessentially British" like camellia, hydrangea and chrysanthemum are all of Chinese origin, and would have been welcome guests when they first appeared in British urban areas.
"Think of Georgian London as being sort of, you know, brick colored. And then the Chinese plants, all of those would bring color that you've never seen before."
Seeds would first be exchanged between British and Chinese traders. The Chinese plants would then make their way to the UK on East India Company ships from Canton.
"Nature is public by definition," says Goodman, while stood on a London street surrounded by the scent of jasmine and potted plants, both of which have their origins in China.
"You relate to the garden the way you relate to your philosophy of life. The pathway is a meander through life, not just a pathway through the garden. You have energy flows. The qi that's running through you is also running through the plant. And so you become one with nature. But it's nature on your terms," he says.
