{"id":4309,"date":"2022-10-09T20:05:23","date_gmt":"2022-10-09T12:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dafennet.com\/?p=4309"},"modified":"2025-01-09T18:32:24","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T10:32:24","slug":"chinas-van-gogh-zhao-xiaoyong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dafennet.com\/fr\/chinas-van-gogh-zhao-xiaoyong\/","title":{"rendered":"The Way to Success of “Chinese Van Gogh” Zhao Xiaoyong"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\nChoose the ideal, or choose the reality? This is a very cruel question.\n\nVan Gogh unquestionably chose the former, and as a result, in poverty in his later years, he could only commit suicide in extreme despair.\n\nThe painter Zhao Xiaoyong is different, he chose the latter, because he still has a big family to support, and the whole family counts on him to eat.\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"peinture<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"peinture<\/figure>\n\n\n

So, he nestled in the village in the city, and for more than ten hours a day, he kept copying Van Gogh’s paintings.<\/p>\n

In 20 years, he has painted a total of 100,000 oil paintings, and he is so familiar with Van Gogh’s paintings that he can copy them with his eyes closed.<\/p>\n

Facing the camera, his eyes are lonely and longing.<\/p>\n

“I think I know Van Gogh…”<\/p>\n

To this end, he decided to get out of the status quo and use originality to pay tribute to Van Gogh, a painter who struggled for his ideals all his life.<\/p>\n

It took Zhao Xiaoyong 20 years from Xiaobai to copying, and 10 years from copying to entering the hall of masters.<\/p>\n

It took him 30 years to complete the transformation of his life. He is Zhao Xiaoyong, the “Van Gogh of China”.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


In 1987, 15-year-old Zhao Xiaoyong came to Shenzhen to work alone.<\/p>\n

But because he was too young and had no strength, no factory or construction site was willing to ask for him.<\/p>\n

During that time, Zhao Xiaoyong spent the most difficult time in his life.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


He slept across bridges, roads, and rested in suburban cemeteries, wandering in the city, he was no different from a homeless man.<\/p>\n

Because he did not have a temporary residence permit, Zhao Xiaoyong was quickly taken away by the police, and it was only after the co-workers raised 400 yuan for him that he was taken out.<\/p>\n

Desperate, he went to beg a factory to take him in, without wages, as long as he could eat and live.<\/p>\n

In a Tenglan factory, he stroked and colored resin figures.<\/p>\n

Because he saw his cousin painting in his hometown, Zhao Xiaoyong showed extraordinary talent in painting.<\/p>\n

Soon, he became a fine-painter in the factory, and his works were framed and placed in glass cabinets, which became the objects of study for all workers in the factory.<\/p>\n

The workdays in the factory are repeated every day, and gradually, Zhao Xiaoyong is tired of the current life.<\/p>\n

Just when he was considering whether to resign, a word from the fellow completely rewrote his fate.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


In the late 1980s, a wealthy Hong Kong businessman received an order from Wal-Mart, asking him to deliver 30 imitation paintings within 30 days.<\/p>\n

So, he came to Dafen Village with an order, regarded it as his studio, and recruited “painters” from all over Shenzhen.<\/p>\n

At that time, Dafen Village was not a famous imitation painting manufacturing center, but an ordinary village in Shenzhen.<\/p>\n

There is a foul stench here all year round, so it is dubbed the “big dung village” by the locals.<\/p>\n

But soon, because of the arrival of businessmen, the “Dung Village” will rewrite its own destiny.<\/p>\n

After the fellow came to Dafen Village to apply for a job successfully, he thought of Zhao Xiaoyong, so he also invited him.<\/p>\n

Zhao Xiaoyong almost didn’t think about it, so he agreed to come down, packed his things, and came to Dafen Village to become a “painter”.<\/p>\n

In this way, a businessman, with dozens of “painters”, started the work of imitating paintings, and Zhao Xiaoyong entered the business in a confused way.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


Here, many “painters” are migrant workers, and they don’t even know how to hold a paintbrush, let alone paint oil paintings.<\/p>\n

Therefore, wealthy businessmen invited teachers to teach them how to paint oil paintings from scratch. After only ten days, they began to copy paintings.<\/p>\n

The “painters” don’t need to know how to paint, and they don’t need to know what emotions are in the painting.<\/p>\n

Just need to learn how to “copy and paste” a painting to another drawing paper with a brush.<\/p>\n

Because of the huge workload, dozens of “painters” have to paint for more than ten hours a day.<\/p>\n

When I get tired, I sleep on the stool for a while, and then I paint after I wake up.<\/p>\n

The weather was hot, and there was no air conditioner. In the room of more than ten square meters, there were more than a dozen painters crowded, and even the air they exhaled was hot.<\/p>\n

They can only bare the upper body and use all their strength to complete the paintings in their hands. Each painting can earn from ten to dozens of yuan.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


Zhao Xiaoyong, in such an environment, stayed for three months. Apart from eating and sleeping, he painted every day.<\/p>\n

At the end of the three months, he had learned the art of painting imitations, allowing him to take root in the industry.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


After the order was delivered, the wealthy businessmen in Hong Kong made a lot of money, and many businessmen came to the industry one after another.<\/p>\n

They rented studios in Dafen Village and looked for “painters”, and soon, one studio after another opened up in Dafen Village.<\/p>\n

At its peak, the total number of studios in Dafen Village exceeded 1,000, and the annual output of imitation paintings was as high as 5 million.<\/p>\n

It has become the main supplier of imitation paintings in the world. 70% of the imitation paintings in Europe come from China, while 80% of the imitation paintings in China come from Dafen Village.<\/p>\n

And here, it has also become a treasure for many imitation painting merchants to make a fortune, with a total annual sales of 1 billion.<\/p>\n

But as the main producers of paintings, the “painters”, they don’t make much money all year round.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


Some of them are migrant workers, some haven’t even graduated from primary school, and some, a few months ago, couldn’t even hold a paintbrush with three fingers.<\/p>\n

But after a few months, they contributed more than 60% of the imitation paintings in the world.<\/p>\n

From Van Gogh to Miller, from “Starry Night” to “The Gleaners”, as long as the client needs it, they have to paint it within the specified time.<\/p>\n

In order to improve efficiency, many businessmen will split a painting and let the “painters” work together.<\/p>\n

For example, in painting “Mona Lisa’s Smile”, someone is responsible for painting the left eye, and someone is responsible for painting the mouth, and finally, all the works are assembled.<\/p>\n

Here, painting is not a work of art, but a businessman, and the “painters” are not artists, but only factory workers.<\/p>\n

And Zhao Xiaoyong is one of these thousands of “workers”, but he is smarter.<\/p>\n

After completing the first order, he opened a studio, took orders by himself, and became a small boss.<\/p>\n

The contents of the order are all paintings by Van Gogh. It is not that Zhao Xiaoyong has a soft spot for Van Gogh, but his paintings are more profitable.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


Gradually, Zhao Xiaoyong’s paintings became famous locally, and he also had regular European clients.<\/p>\n

He has to complete twenty or thirty paintings every day, and it is impossible for him to be busy alone.<\/p>\n

So he brought in his wife, brother and brother-in-law and made them his partners.<\/p>\n

His wife is in charge of “Starry Night” and “Sunflowers”, his younger brother is in charge of “Cafe at Night”, and his brother-in-law is in charge of “Self-Portrait”.<\/p>\n

In the next few years, Zhao Xiaoyong’s studio will produce tens of thousands of Van Gogh’s paintings every year.<\/p>\n

Zhao Xiaoyong and his family have been copying them for decades, and have already memorized all the details of the paintings in their hearts.<\/p>\n

Take Zhao Xiaoyong as an example, he painted 100,000 Van Gogh paintings in 20 years, and he can copy one in as fast as 28 minutes.<\/p>\n

His wife, chatting with others, watching TV series, within an hour, a pair of “Starry Night” can come to life in her writing.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


But ironically, they haven’t even seen the original Van Gogh, and some people don’t even know how to write the word Van Gogh.<\/p>\n

Gradually, Zhao Xiaoyong began to have a strong interest in Van Gogh.<\/p>\n

“I’ve been painting his paintings for half my life, but I don’t even know who he is. It’s a bit unreasonable!”<\/p>\n

One night, Zhao Xiaoyong gathered together all the “painters” in the studio to watch Van Gogh’s documentary.<\/p>\n

It was this documentary that completely changed Zhao Xiaoyong’s second half of his life.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


Vincent van Gogh, who was withdrawn since he was a child, was regarded as a freak. The only thing that could accompany him was the paintbrush in his hand.<\/p>\n

But the paintbrush didn’t make his life any easier, from Holland to England to France.<\/p>\n

He spent his whole life in poverty, was down and out, he only sold one painting in his life, and finally cut himself off in despair.<\/p>\n

Looking back on his life, he poured all his passion into each painting.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


Sadly, his rotten body cannot carry his soul, and every time he picks up a brush, his life is the price.<\/p>\n

The soul quickly evaporates on the canvas, reflecting Van Gogh’s life and magnifying the life of the “painters” infinitely.<\/p>\n

Van Gogh’s tragic life, isn’t it a true portrayal of the first half of his “painters”?<\/p>\n

Like Van Gogh, they wandered around in the first half of their lives, living in no fixed place, and working hard for three meals a day.<\/p>\n

But van Gogh could shine a light on his brush, what about them? Chasing a lifetime is nothing but a poor imitator.<\/p>\n

Since then, a part of Zhao Xiaoyong’s heart has collapsed, and the core part has begun to rebuild, but it still needs some opportunities.<\/p>\n

He wanted to go to the Netherlands to see the authentic works of Van Gogh, and to understand the real inner world of Van Gogh. What was it like?<\/p>\n

The opportunity came. One day, he received an invitation from a client to invite him to Van Gogh’s hometown, Amsterdam.<\/p>\n

The other party said that he only needed Zhao Xiaoyong’s travel expenses, and he would take care of the rest.<\/p>\n

But for Zhao Xiaoyong, it is still a lot of money.<\/p>\n

\"peinture<\/p>\n


He discussed with his wife, but every time the two of them would quarrel, and in the end, they would still return to the issue of money.<\/p>\n

Zhao Xiaoyong told his wife that he went to see Van Gogh’s paintings in order to imitate them more and make more money.<\/p>\n

But after living with him for decades, his wife certainly knew that Zhao Xiaoyong’s real purpose of going to see Van Gogh.<\/p>\n

In the end, his wife still couldn’t beat Zhao Xiaoyong, and he embarked on a plane to the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

Amsterdam in reality is different from what Zhao Xiaoyong imagined. It is not like a big city, but more like a small town.<\/p>\n

On the streets of the town, Zhao Xiaoyong saw a small shop selling souvenirs filled with high school portraits of Van Gogh.<\/p>\n

The largest of them was hung outside the door, framed in glass, and displayed to passers-by.<\/p>\n

Zhao Xiaoyong recognized it at a glance. Most of the paintings in the souvenir shop were made by him and his studio.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


They hang on the wall without even a picture frame, allowing the locals to come in to pick, touch, buy and sell.<\/p>\n

Each painting can be sold for about 30-40 euros, and the bigger one outside the door can be sold for 400 euros.<\/p>\n

This is almost more than eight times the export price of Zhao Xiaoyong.<\/p>\n

At the entrance of the small shop, Zhao Xiaoyong joined Zhang Ying with his self-portrait of Van Gogh. At this time, he had mixed feelings in his heart.<\/p>\n

The “painters” have painted paintings for half their lives, but they are still at the bottom of the industrial chain and receive the meagre wages.<\/p>\n

But these capitalists can earn more than eight times the profits by just flipping their hands. Why?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


But all this, Zhao Xiaoyong has no power to change, he can only light a cigarette in loneliness and let his sorrow drift away with the smoke.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


The next day, he came to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to get up close and personal with Van Gogh’s paintings for the first time.<\/p>\n

“The color is wrong, the original is obviously much lighter!”<\/p>\n

Zhao Xiaoyong thought he knew enough about Van Gogh’s paintings, but after seeing the real works, he realized how ridiculous his thoughts were.<\/p>\n

Each painting is stronger than I imagined, and there is no decadence at all, and some are just infinite enthusiasm for the painting.<\/p>\n

Even as miserable as Van Gogh, when he picks up his beloved brush, he can still leave everything behind and paint without distractions.<\/p>\n

Can you do this when you are soaked in three meals a day?<\/p>\n

After returning from the Netherlands, Zhao Xiaoyong began to lose his mind.<\/p>\n

He considered himself a half-artist, but his trip to the Netherlands made him realize that in front of Van Gogh, he was nothing.<\/p>\n

Van Gogh had the courage to dedicate everything to art, did he himself?<\/p>\n

\"peinture<\/p>\n


He began to dream, and dreamed of Van Gogh, and he came up to himself and asked kindly.<\/p>\n

“Xiaoyong, how are you painting my works now?”<\/p>\n

“I’ve entered your state!”<\/p>\n

In the dream, Zhao Xiaoyong tried to touch, only to find that there was nothing in front of him.<\/p>\n

He woke up from the dream, couldn’t sleep for a long time, and sat until morning.<\/p>\n

In the early morning, the first ray of sunlight shone into the studio, Zhao Xiaoyong lit a cigarette and made plans in his heart.<\/p>\n

“It’s time to try to change a little bit!”<\/p>\n

Since then, Zhao Xiaoyong will also try to paint what he wants to paint in the space between painting imitation paintings.<\/p>\n

Zhao Xiaoyong will try to describe the daily life of the “painters” in the studio, his grandmother in his hometown, and the little things in life.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


With the money he earned over the years, he opened a studio to sell his original paintings.<\/p>\n

At the beginning, Zhao Xiaoyong’s business was not good, and he couldn’t even sell a few pictures a month.<\/p>\n

But he didn’t give up, he persisted, and gradually, with the help and promotion of his peers, his paintings began to become famous.<\/p>\n

From the first few dozen yuan, no one cared about it, and now he can sell tens of thousands of pictures. This process took him ten years.<\/p>\n

Although the process was long, Zhao Xiaoyong did not regret it, but fortunately, he persevered.<\/p>\n

Ten years later, he dreamed of Van Gogh again, with his back to Zhao Xiaoyong, standing in the distance, his voice was low and deep.<\/p>\n

“I’m an insignificant and annoying person.”<\/p>\n

“All in all, I am the most despicable person in this society.”<\/p>\n

“But even if this has become an indisputable fact.”<\/p>\n

“One day, I will use my works to tell the world.”<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


That morning, Zhao Xiaoyong woke up from his dream with tears in his eyes, but a smile on his lips.<\/p>\n

“Mr van Gogh, I think I might have done it, even if it wasn’t perfect.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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