A poster of the documentary film China's Van Goghs. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Yu believes the phenomenon of Dafen is unprecedented in art history. The peasants-turned-painters come from rural China, yet their personal destiny is in European culture. Yu describes feeling "a kind of artistic power that passes through time and space, integrating Eastern and Western culture".

Yu also started taking pictures in Dafen in 2005, when traditional film still dominated. He took about 20 rolls of film a day and many in the village became familiar with the cameraman sporting long hair.

Huang from Hong Kong gave his support to Yu. After the photographer discussed his ideas with him, Huang took Yu to several studios to meet students whom he had trained earlier.

"I had many conversations with those painters. We sat together to drink Chinese tea. While sampling the tea, I also savored their life stories," Yu says.

Yu became good friends with the painters and they regularly invited him to their homes for dinner, drinks and karaoke.

"Their paintings and lives, expectations and dreams are deeply connected to me," says Yu. "They are used to communicating through the lens and I often kept my sights low to capture their emotions."

Yu's photo story on Dafen won the 49th World Press Photography Contest in 2006. It was also exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

In 2011, Yu began to work with his daughter, Yu Tianqi, on the documentary.