Young art restorer finds his calling on social media

Photo shows Yu Mingrui, an ancient painting restorer, in his studio in Songjiang district, east China's Shanghai. (Photo/Zhang Yi)

Yu Mingrui, an ancient painting restorer born in 1998, has become an unlikely internet sensation, turning the art of ancient book and painting restoration into viral content.

Despite the fact he is not a prolific content creator, as restoring a piece of painting or an ancient book can take anywhere from more than half a month to over half a year, he has garnered an impressive 356,000 followers on Bilibili, a popular video-sharing and streaming platform in China. His most popular video under this theme racked up over 5 million views.

Photo shows Yu Mingrui, an ancient painting restorer, in his studio in Songjiang district, east China's Shanghai. (Photo/Zhang Yi)

Yu, a graduate in book and painting restoration from the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, is one of the few young professionals who stuck to his specialized field. Over the past three years, he has breathed new life into over 30 moldy paintings, rodent-damaged books, and incomplete title deeds for land.

"Restoring paintings and books and social media are both fields where I can continuously hone my skills," Yu said, shedding light on an art form few understand.

Yu's painting restoration studio is tucked away on the second floor of a creative cultural park in Songjiang district, east China's Shanghai.

Yu Mingrui, an ancient painting restorer, restores an ancient painting in his studio in Songjiang district, east China's Shanghai. (Photo/Shanghai Observer)

Painting restoration is essentially a delicate dance of water and paper, involving four major steps including cleaning, separating, repairing, and color restoration, Yu said, adding that each step has something to do with humidity.

Painting restoration is a profession that literally depends on the weather, with air humidity directly having an impact on paper conditions. Yu said that when humidity reaches 60 to 70 percent, it is most suitable for restoring a painting or a book.

An ancient painting consists of the painting layer itself and the paper layer attached to the painting layer. The most crucial and difficult step is to separate the latter from the painting layer.

Photo shows Yu Mingrui, an ancient painting restorer, in his studio in Songjiang district, east China's Shanghai. (Photo/Shanghai Observer)

Painting restoration is a craft of patience and precision, which requires paying attention to the smallest of details. Yu recalled that his first class at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts was about making restoration tools from scratch, adding that restorers need to adjust tools by themselves if necessary.

Yu made the decision to engage in painting restoration after graduation as he saw the potential of becoming a content creator on Bilibili. During his sophomore year, he uploaded a video on the platform, with the video garnering 200,000 views and attracting nearly 20,000 followers.

Yu Mingrui, an ancient painting restorer, draws a painting in his studio in Songjiang district, east China's Shanghai. (Photo/Shanghai Observer)

What sets Yu apart is his unique approach to transforming his graduation project of restoring an ancient painting into a captivating documentary by recording his whole restoration process.

Restoring an ancient painting is like having a conversation with an ancient artist, said Yu.

Yu said that a restorer earns a modest income from painting restoration. However, he has found a sweet spot by combining the craft with social media, earning some extra money from social media.

Yu will attend an activity organized by Bilibili at the China Art Museum in Shanghai at the end of November to showcase his painting restoration skills to visitors on the spot.