Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Mounting Services
Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Mounting Services
We provide professional mounting services for Chinese paintings and calligraphy. All mounting work is carried out by an experienced mounting artist who has worked with Guanghwa Bookshop for more than ten years.
We currently offer three types of mounting service:
- Backing
- Silk Mounting
- Hanging Scroll Mounting
Each service involves a different process and produces a different finished format. You can choose the most suitable option based on how you intend to display, frame or preserve your artwork.
Common Mounting Terms
The following terms may help you understand the mounting process:
- Artwork / painting centre (画心, huàxīn): The original calligraphy, painting or other artwork to be mounted.
- Backing paper (托纸): Paper attached to the back of the original artwork. We normally use thick Xuan paper specifically intended for backing. It adds thickness, stability and support while helping the artwork remain flat.
- Backing (托底): The process of attaching backing paper to the reverse of the original artwork to strengthen and flatten it.
- Silk mounting (上绫): The process of attaching decorative silk brocade around the artwork to create a coordinated border.
- Top rod (天杆): The narrower wooden rod fitted to the top of a hanging scroll. It provides support and allows the scroll to be hung.
- Bottom roller (地轴): The thicker and heavier rod fitted to the bottom of a hanging scroll. It helps the scroll hang straight and allows it to be rolled up for storage.
1. Backing
This is a basic strengthening and flattening service for an original painting or work of calligraphy.
The artwork is carefully prepared and flattened before a layer of Xuan backing paper is attached to the reverse. This gives thin, soft or easily creased paper greater thickness, stability and support.
Once backed, the artwork is easier to store flat or place in a frame. Backing can also serve as the first stage of a more complete traditional mounting process.
This service includes:
- Preparing and flattening the artwork
- Attaching backing paper to the reverse
- Strengthening and stabilising the original artwork
Finished result:
The original appearance of the artwork is retained. No silk brocade border or hanging-scroll fittings are added.
2. Silk Mounting
This service includes backing the artwork and adding a decorative silk brocade border around it.
The brocade is selected according to the artwork’s dimensions, colours and overall style, creating a balanced and coordinated presentation.
The silk brocade helps frame and enhance the artwork visually. It also reduces the need to touch the original artwork directly when handling or displaying it.
At this stage, the work has the basic appearance of traditionally mounted Chinese painting or calligraphy, but it does not include the rods or hanging components required for a hanging scroll.
This service includes:
- Preparing and flattening the artwork
- Attaching backing paper to the reverse
- Adding silk brocade around the artwork
Finished result:
The artwork is presented with a decorative silk brocade border. It can then be taken to a professional picture framer or developed further into a traditional hanging scroll.
3. Hanging Scroll Mounting
This service turns the artwork into a complete traditional vertical Chinese hanging scroll.
It includes backing and silk brocade mounting, followed by the addition of the rods and hanging components.
A narrow top rod is fitted to support the upper part of the scroll and allow it to be hung. A thicker and heavier bottom roller is fitted to help the scroll hang straight and remain flat. The bottom roller also allows the scroll to be rolled upwards for storage.
Depending on the mounting style, a hanging cord and other necessary fittings will also be added.
This service includes:
- Preparing and flattening the artwork
- Attaching backing paper to the reverse
- Adding silk brocade around the artwork
- Fitting the top rod and bottom roller
- Adding the necessary hanging components
Finished result:
The artwork becomes a complete traditional hanging scroll that can be displayed immediately or rolled up for storage.
Silk Brocade Colour Selection
You can view the available silk colours online by clicking the link below:
https://canva.link/guanghwa-silk-catalogue-july-updated-2026
We make every effort to represent the colours as accurately as possible in our photographs. However, slight colour differences may occur because of lighting conditions, screen settings, display devices and image resolution.
The colour of the physical material should therefore be treated as the final reference.
Finished Dimensions
Please note that silk brocade mounting and hanging scroll mounting add borders and mounting components around the original artwork.
The finished piece will therefore be larger than the original artwork. Its final dimensions will depend on the size of the artwork, the mounting proportions and the selected mounting style.
Picture Frames
Please note that we do not currently provide or sell picture frames.
To have a backed or silk-mounted artwork placed in a frame, please contact a professional framing shop or picture framer separately.
Turnaround Time
Mounting normally takes approximately one to two weeks.
For urgent enquiries, please contact us at info@guanghwa.com before bringing or sending your artwork to the shop. Please also let our staff know that you require an expedited service when submitting the artwork.
Prices
Prices depend on the dimensions of the artwork and the type of mounting required.
Please email the exact dimensions of your artwork to info@guanghwa.com for a quotation.
About Our Mounting Process
Our mounting artist currently provides dry mounting only. We do not offer traditional wet mounting.
Dry mounting and wet mounting are both methods of attaching an original artwork to backing paper so that it can be flattened, strengthened and stabilised.
The main differences are the amount of moisture that comes into contact with the artwork, the type of adhesive used and the mounting process itself.
Please read the following information carefully before submitting your artwork.
Basic Definitions
Wet mounting
In traditional wet mounting, the artwork is moistened so that the paper can relax and expand evenly. A thin wheat-starch paste is then applied during the backing process.
Dry mounting
During dry mounting, the original artwork remains dry or relatively dry. Depending on the specific method, adhesive may be applied to the backing paper and allowed to dry or become partially dry before attachment. Some modern dry-mounting processes use heat-activated adhesive film, which is bonded to the artwork through controlled heat and pressure.
Key Differences
Moisture and adhesive
Wet mounting:
Traditional wet mounting uses a very thin wheat-starch paste with a relatively high water content.
Dry mounting:
Traditional dry-mounting methods may use a thicker paste applied to the backing paper and allowed to dry partially before attachment. Modern dry mounting may use a synthetic, heat-activated adhesive film.
Effect on ink and pigments
Wet mounting:
If the ink or pigments are not water-stable, exposure to moisture may cause bleeding, fading or colour migration. This may occur with certain modern inks, unstable pigments or some heavily coloured gongbi works.
Dry mounting:
Because the surface of the artwork is not directly soaked with water, dry mounting may reduce the risk of bleeding or colour migration in some water-sensitive works.
However, dry mounting does not remove all risks. Heat, pressure, adhesives and the existing condition of the artwork may still affect the finished result.
Future removal, conservation and remounting
Wet mounting:
Traditional wet mounting generally uses natural starch paste. When properly carried out, this type of mounting is often more reversible, meaning that the backing may potentially be removed in the future by an experienced conservator or traditional mounting specialist.
Dry mounting:
When modern adhesive film or synthetic adhesive is used, the adhesive may penetrate or bond closely with the paper fibres. This can make future removal, conservation or remounting difficult and, in some cases, impractical.
We do not currently provide wet mounting. Customers who specifically require traditional wet mounting are advised to consult an experienced traditional mounting specialist in China.
For works of significant financial, historical or conservation value, or for works that may require future restoration or remounting, we recommend consulting a qualified traditional mounting specialist or paper conservator before proceeding.
Artwork Materials and Mounting Risks
Our mounting service is primarily suitable for works created using:
- Traditional Chinese painting pigments
- Chinese ink
- Watercolour
Common artwork supports include:
- Xuan paper
- Maobian paper
- Traditional bark or fibre paper
As we currently provide dry mounting only, our ability to accept an artwork will depend on its materials, pigment stability, condition and method of creation.
If an artwork includes other paints, adhesives, coatings or mixed-media materials, the mounting process may cause changes that cannot always be predicted in advance.
These may include, but are not limited to:
- Fading or changes in colour
- Bleeding or spreading of ink and pigments
- Loss of sharpness or clarity
- Cracking or flaking of pigments
- Wrinkling, shrinking or distortion of the paper
- Separation between different materials
- Changes to surface coatings caused by heat or pressure
Please inform us before submitting your artwork if it has been created on a material other than Xuan paper or if it contains any media not listed above.
If you are unsure whether your artwork is suitable for mounting, please contact us before submitting it. Where possible, please tell us which paper, pigments, inks, adhesives and other materials were used.
Our mounting artist will make an initial assessment based on the information provided. However, the composition and stability of some materials cannot be determined accurately from appearance alone. We therefore cannot guarantee that every potential reaction or change will be identified before mounting begins.
Valuable Artworks, Insurance and Liability
If your artwork has significant financial or collectable value, or is of particular personal importance, we recommend arranging suitable fine-art insurance according to your own needs.
Any insurance should provide appropriate cover during transportation and throughout the mounting process.
We and our mounting artist will handle every artwork with reasonable care. However, the materials, pigment stability, condition, existing damage and transportation environment of an original artwork cannot always be fully assessed or predicted.
Except where damage is caused by our deliberate misconduct or gross negligence, neither Guanghwa Bookshop nor the mounting artist will be liable for loss or damage arising during transportation or mounting, including distortion, fading, bleeding, pigment loss or other changes to the artwork.
By submitting an artwork for mounting, you confirm that you have read and understood the information above, including the nature of the mounting process and its associated risks, and that you have decided to proceed based on the specific condition and value of your artwork.
Content Usage Notice
These guidance articles are based on the expertise of our art teachers, our personal experience, and the specific qualities of the materials we provide. They are created solely for the benefit of our customers for our mounting service. All content is original and protected by copyright. It may not be copied, reproduced, shared, or used—whether in part or in full—for any commercial purpose, including sales, marketing, or publication, without our express written permission. Thank you for respecting the care and knowledge that go into creating these resources.