From the perspective of conservation in Hong Kong, paintings can be grouped into Chinese and Western. Works of art on paper will suffer from unexpected alterations such as the paper yellowing and foxing with high humidity, air pollutants, and the use of inferior materials and additives during the manufacturing process. Therefore, painting conservators have to examine the physical condition of the artifacts, identify the exact conservation needs and prescribe treatment priorities for the collection items prior to the implementation of the conservation programmes. Amongst other specialist equipment, the Fourier transform infra-red spectrometer helps to identify paints and pigments used on paintings while the pencil steam generator facilitates the removal of adhesive tapes left on paper objects.