Overview of Dafen Oil Painting Village

 Dafen Oil Painting Village is located in Dafen Community, Buji Sub-District, Longgang District, Shenzhen. It has attracted more than 1200 galleries of various sizes, more than 60 famous companies, and about 8,000 workers in the oil painting business in the core area ol only about 0.4 square kilometers. Moreover, totally there are about 20,000 workers in the business if the surrounding communities are included. The galleries and companies in Dafen are mainly engaged in the production and trading of oil paintings and relevant items. They also produce and trade traditional Chinese cultural items, such as traditional Chinese paintings, calligraphic works, seal cuttings, embroideries as well as other art works, such as art crafts and abstract art items etc.

As the National Demonstration Base of Cultural Industry, Dafen Oil Painting Village is one of the first in its kind in the country, and the first one at the national level in Shenzhen. It is the forerunner as the ICIF branch, and moreover, it keeps the record of the most times of hosting ICIF (Shenzhen International Cultural Industry Fair) branches. Since 2004, the village has received more than 3000 Chinese and foreign visiting groups. More than 10 top CPC or national leaders have visited the village, including Wu Bangguo, Zeng Qinghong, Li Changchun, Liu Yunshan, and Wu Yi.

Dafen is known as the first Oil Painting Village in China, because it is not only the largest base for production and trading of commercial oil paintings, but also an important global trading center of oil paintings. According to statistic data, 70% commercial paintings in European and American markets come from China, and among them, 80% are imported from Dafen At the end of 2017, Dafen realized an annual output of 4.15 billion Yuan, and domestic sales and export accounts for 50% respectively. World famous media have reported Dafen Oil Painting Village for many times, including New York Times, BBC, financial Times, Sky News, and NHK. On May 1 st, 2010, Dafen was recommended by Shenzhen to participate in Shanghai World Expo as the case^H of the Urban Best Practice Area, where the Monalisa art installation built by 507 Dafen art workers made a gorgeous debut. Since 2012, People's Government of Longgang District and China Artists Association have co-organized the National (Dafen) Youth and Middle-aged Oil Painting Exhibition every year. In January 2017, the 5th National (Dafen) Youth and Middle-aged Oil Painting Exhibition was held at the National Art Museum of China, where the excellent art works for the past 5 years as well as the works selected in the 5th exhibition were exhibited.

Dafen today, is not only for oil paintings, but also for a colorful variety of arts. Various kinds of artistic forms co exist in the Village harmoniously. And a complete and vigorous industrial chain lias developed in the place, such as the art derivatives development as well as the supporting services of painting mounting, frame installation, painting materials, logistics, etc.