Oil painting village in Shenzhen shifts from reproduction to renovation

Painter Zhao Xiaoyong works at his studio in Dafen village, Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province on Jan 11, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

The village of Dafen in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, used to be famous for its oil paintings.

Home to more than 1,200 art studios and over 8,000 painters, Dafen's replica artworks are popular in both China and abroad.

Since 2005, more than 80 percent of oil paintings exported from China came from Dafen. In 2017, the annual output value of the oil painting village reached 4.15 billion yuan ($614 million). 

With declining demand for replica works and an increasingly large market for originals however, the village has shifted its focus from reproduction to renovation. There are now some 300 artists working at the village focusing on original painting, contributing 20-30 percent of the total oil paintings in the area.