2018 marks the 40th anniversary of China’s Reform and Opening (gaige kaifang) in 1978. Since then, China is an emerging economic power, and Shenzhen "Dafen Oil Painting Village" can be one of the miniatures of the whole development of China. Like most of the world factories in China, peasant-turned oil painters were exploited by entrepreneurs, yet after 40 years of development, they tried to transit from simply making copies of iconic Western paintings to creating their own authentic works of art, emblematic of the journey that China is going through, from ‘Made in China’ to ‘Created in China’. Meanwhile, the story of Dafen also put to light on how the government only focuses on economic development but neglecting human rights and freedom of the citizens while artists would like to fight for freedom of expression and speech with many difficulties.