Dafen is a small suburb in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. In its heyday, it produced 60% of the world’s oil paintings, churning out copies of the Mona Lisa and The Starry Night you see in hotel lobbies and restaurants.

But after decades of making another person’s work, Dafen’s painters are now trying to pave their own way as artists in their own rights. Here’s a peek into the town also known as China’s art copy capital.

#goldthread #goldthread2 #oilpainting #China #VanGogh #arts

0:00 - Where your hotel’s Van Goghs are from
0:56 - Like an assembly line
1:50 - Dafen’s history
3:10 - Making original work

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Producer: Xin Fang
Videographer: Canrong Zhang and Xin Fang
Script: Lyn Yang
Editor: Erin Lo and César del Giudice
Narration: Qian Dai
Mastering: Victor Peña

#China #Shenzhen #dafen #oilpainting #madeinchina