The Village That Used To Crank Out 60 Percent Of The World’s Art Output May Be Hitting Reset

“In the mid-2000s, Dafen’s copy industry was booming. It was at this point that auxiliary commercial avenues began to take root in the village. Quaint cafes, as well as more accessible ‘gallery shops’ (predominantly fronts for anonymous art workers and addresses from which to tout for business both wholesale and retail) lent the village lucrative tourist appeal.” But things have changed. Can Dafen become a creative hub instead of a copy factory?