Travel in China
The village that painted the world - thousands of artists whose hand-painted canvases stack the gallery walls.
Dafen Oil Painting Village began in 1989 when the artist Huang Jiang moved to this suburban Shenzhen village with a handful of apprentices to paint reproductions of Western masterpieces for export. By the mid-2000s, Dafen was producing an estimated 60 per cent of the world's oil paintings - millions of canvases shipped from this single square kilometre.
Today Dafen is a maze of gallery-lined streets where thousands of artists work in open studios. The walls are stacked floor to ceiling with canvases - Van Gogh sunflowers, Monet water lilies, portraits, landscapes and increasingly original Chinese contemporary work. Visitors can watch a masterpiece emerge in an afternoon, commission a custom portrait, or buy ready-made canvases at prices from a few dollars to thousands.
Dafen is also evolving beyond reproduction: the village now hosts an art museum, regular exhibitions of original work, and a growing community of contemporary artists. The contrast between the industrial-scale reproduction ateliers and the individual studios makes it a fascinating place to explore.
Highlights
The Gallery-Stacked Walls
Thousands of canvases from floor to ceiling in every shop.
Watching Artists at Work
See a Van Gogh reproduced in an afternoon in the open studios.
Commission a Portrait
Have your own portrait painted from a photograph while you wait.
The Original Art Scene
Contemporary Chinese artists showing their own work.
The Dafen Art Museum
A purpose-built museum with rotating exhibitions.
The Contrast
Industrial reproduction ateliers beside individual studios.
Photo Gallery
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