Tianjin is the third largest commercial center in China. Located 100 kilometers east of Beijing on the Bohai Bay. Tianjin has long served as an important commercial center and port for the Chinese capital. Peasant painting is an art form practiced in the counties surrounding the Grand Canal to the north of Tianjin.

Peasant paintings are a reflection of peasant life-free, simple, and direct.

The painters of these peasant paintings have received no formal art training. Their inspiration is the countryside, which surrounds them, and their paintings are a reflection of their lives. Everyday events, festivals, and traditional Chinese culture all inspire this colorful art form.

Painting as a form of expression comes naturally to these artists and their paintings are expressions of their thoughts as well as their feelings. Often their paintings are a combination not only of what they see, but also what they think and feel about the world, as they know it. Thus, a painting of a chicken will sometimes show the egg growing inside the mother hen, a painting of a cow will show the hay in it's stomach, the painting of the countryside will show four seasons in one painting, or an orchard will show both flowering trees as well as laden with ripe fruit.

Fulfillment is an important theme in peasant life. Three generations often live under one roof and peasant homes are filled with furniture, handicrafts, and tools. During festivals, the entrance and walls of the peasant home are covered in beautiful calligraphies expressing good fortune for the coming year. In peasant paintings, the importance of a full life is expressed not only in the fullness of each painting, but also in the objects depicted themselves. A painting of a lotus flower, for instance, will show not only the flower, stem and leaves, but also the root nestled in the mud below.

The heavy use of color is also an important characteristic of peasant paintings. The painting is often striking combinations of primary colors with red a dominant color in many works. The common use of red reflects the colors relationship with feelings of happiness and good fortune. A peasant girl is dressed in red from head to toe on her wedding day.

Modern Tianjin Peasant Paintings are very popular. Over 100 paintings have made their way into national museums. Tianjin Peasant Paintings have shown in most countries in the world.