Dafen Oil Painting Village

If you love art, this is the perfect place to explore, you’ll find many artists creating live paintings, from handcrafted pieces to ultra-realistic works. It’s a wonderful showcase of the incredible talent in Shenzhen, and a great opportunity to support local artists.

It’s like buying fake brand clothes, but for art. Incredible prices. Loads of bad paintings but also some beautiful ones. A small oil painting with frame can be about 10USD. Prices aren’t fixed, but don’t try to get more then 30% off. Large photo realistic commissions start at $100 USD. Good vibes as well. Definitely worth a visit.

A wide selection of paintings is available. Some shops also offer customized painting options. The surroundings are remarkably serene.

We picked the wrong time to come (early 2025) as it was CNY. Still, a handful of stores were opened so we could get a basic feeling of what this painting village would look like in normal workday. We also managed to visit an art gallery for free so it wasn't too bad after all. Of course, if I come again I might have a better understanding of the site and give it a better rating.

Really enjoyed walking around this district and have a look at those exceptional oil paintings. Ended up bringing a few back home! Definitely worth it!

A must go to visit when you are in China. It’s basically a market place for painting arts and many other arts in different mediums including some sculptures. Shops can be a consolidation of many different artists as there are thousands of artists in the country. Some can be simple and commercial, but some really is a great authentic artist. Love the overall ambience… visiting one of an artist friend there and got nice conversations on his tea table. Love the way they do arts while sustaining life… also found couple of interesting stores at back, where they use modern almost satire of famous art in the world into different way of presenting it in much more modern and contemporary… very refreshing. While majority shops are pretty standard, they also has some areas that are very nicely set like museums, collec of many different great quality products, some old houses and gates being kept as it was hundreds or thousands years ago… definitely worth the trip and highly recommend to visit.

Originally a center for masterwork replica production, Dafen Village has expanded to include numerous art workshops and original artwork studios. While replicas are still available, visitors can now also explore a variety of original works, galleries and local coffee shops. It’s a great place to explore at a relaxed pace for a couple of hours.

Lots of painting shops, very low prices (US$3?) for mass produced smaller paintings that still look good in the home. Also a lot of places where you can learn how to paint your own art (with guidance) for low, low prices. Highly recommended to come here on your own or with kids!