The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen is well known for the easy availability of cheap electronics and its bustling export-oriented economy. But when the city's authorities mounted a pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, they wanted to show a more cultured face. That's when they turned to the painters of Dafen, the subject of art historian Winnie Wong's recently published book "Van Gogh on Demand."

An urban village located within Shenzhen, Dafen has become known in recent years for a community of several thousand...