Chinoiserie wallpaper was hand-painted in China for the export market. It dates from c.1800 and was intended to form a panoramic view of an Oriental garden. The garden is planted with flowering trees and shrubs in vases, and the viewer looks out over an alabaster balustrade. These papers were and are hand-painted in a non-repeating design. Originally they used a white mulberry fiber paper, and often silk adhered to a ground paper. Usually 3-4 feet wide, they were 12 feet in length, and the height of the design varied The earliest designs feature birds and flowers with foliage, painted on a background of plain color often pale blue, grey, bream or light green. The design is light and free and the drawing is in outline filled with clear bright colors. Branches of bamboo and flowering shrubs intermingle, while peonies and roses flower amidst waving grass. Birds, butterflies and other insects, painted with extraordinary botanical accuracy, fly, strut and perch among the leaves. A trellis or fence may be added at the bottom of some papers, changing angles as it winds around the room and giving the design a base. The Chinese wallpapers introduced after about 1750 became more complicated. They are narrative in composition, showing large numbers of people engaged in trading or daily activities such as farming, hunting, or making porcelain. Tea production was a frequent theme and workers are shown busily planting, harvesting, drying, packing and selling the tea. Hand painted scenery wallpapers are recognized as the highest form of wallpaper art. Using centuries-old manufacturing methods these papers require hundreds of hours to produce a continuous scene. The French and Chinese invented and perfected these arts; although imitated, they are still recognized as unparalleled in the wallpaper industry.