A small village, Wanggongzhuang, in Minquan County of Henan
Province, has recently become known as "China's number one tiger
painting village", for 700 out of the 1,000 villagers there are
skilled in painting tigers.
Their works are not only popular in China, but also sell hot in
countries and regions in Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan, and America,
with the gross sale per year amounting to 6,000,000 yuan.
According to Dahe Daily, hand drawings of pine and crane, carp,
the God of Wealth, and the Kitchen God are very popular in areas
around Wanggongzhuang in the Eastern Hean Plain. Previously, these
New Years paintings were only sold at country market fairs.
However, in the late 1970s, some open-minded peasants began selling
their exquisite works on the market. Wang Peishuang, who has become
rich on this business, used to be among the “Four Tiger Kings”,
four well-known tiger painters at that time. By now，Wang has an
income of 300 thousand to 400 thousand yuan every year and has been
running a painting training school. Wang has also become a member
of Traditional Chinese Painters Association of China and Henan
Artists Association. His works have won many prizes in some
provincial art exhibitions.
(Chinanews.cn April 26, 2007)