Ruijie & Sascha
Trail of China · May 2025
Dafen Oil Painting Village
Dafen produces more oil paintings than anywhere on Earth — 5 million a year, many sold on Amazon as 'hand-painted originals.'
Why You'll Love It
Dafen is the strangest intersection of art and manufacturing you'll ever see. In the 1990s, a Hong Kong businessman set up a workshop here to mass-produce oil painting copies. Within a decade, thousands of artists had followed, and now this small neighborhood produces an estimated 5 million paintings a year — roughly 60% of the world's oil paintings.
Walk through the narrow alleys and you'll see painters working at astonishing speed — a Van Gogh copy in 30 minutes, a Monet in an hour. Some stalls have racks of identical sunset paintings, others display genuine original work by local artists. The juxtaposition is what makes Dafen fascinating: it's both an art factory and a genuine creative community.
You don't need to buy anything. Watching the artists work is the experience. Bring a camera, walk slowly, and appreciate the bizarre beauty of a village that turned painting into an assembly line — and then, inevitably, started producing original art too.
About Dafen Oil Painting Village
Dafen Oil Painting Village (大芬油画村) is a neighborhood in Longgang District, Shenzhen, that produces an estimated 60% of the world's oil paintings. What started in 1989 as a single workshop copying Western masterworks has grown into a village of over 8,000 artists producing 5 million paintings annually.
The village occupies several blocks of narrow streets and alleys, lined with galleries, workshops, and supply stores. Painters work in open stalls, often producing copies of famous paintings — Van Gogh's Starry Night, Monet's Water Lilies, and Da Vinci's Mona Lisa are the most popular subjects. Many also produce original work, and the village has increasingly attracted serious artists who use the cheap studio space and community.
The paintings produced here are sold globally — on Amazon, eBay, and in furniture stores worldwide, often marketed as "hand-painted originals." The village has become a tourist attraction in its own right, offering a uniquely Shenzhen blend of manufacturing efficiency and artistic skill.
Practical Details
Getting There
Take Metro Line 3 to Dafen Station (大芬站), Exit A1. Walk 2 minutes south on Dafen Oil Painting Street to the village entrance. The journey from Futian takes about 30 minutes.
What to Skip
Skip the first few stalls near the entrance — they're the most tourist-priced. Walk deeper into the alleys for better quality and lower prices. The "Dafen Art Museum" at the entrance is small and skippable unless you have a specific interest in the village's history.
Photography Tips
The narrow alleys create beautiful light shafts in the morning. Artists working at easels with paint-stained hands make the best subjects. Ask before shooting close-ups of their work — a smile and gesture usually gets a nod.
Essential Information
Location
Book Tours & Experiences
Discover guided tours, skip-the-line tickets, and unique experiences in Shenzhen.