China didn't start to produce commercial oil paintings en masse until the early 1980s. The industry was then just leaving developed countries and regions, such as South Korea and Hong Kong, to reduce its costs.

Both Putian and Xiamen, cities in Fujian province, claim to be the places where commercial paintings were first produced in China.

The general consensus, though, is that Putian was the main force in the early years of China's oil painting industry.