Jinshan formed as early as 6,000 years ago. Fengjing, Jinshanwei and Zhujing towns date back more than 800 years. Fengjing Town is known as a "historical and cultural town."

Jinshan has produced cultural celebrities including Gu Yewang, a linguist in Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–589AD), monk Chuanzi in Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), Chen Shunyu of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Yang Weizhen, writer and calligrapher at the end of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Shen Du, calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Cheng Shifa (1921—2007), traditional Chinese painter and cartoonist Ding Cong (1916-2009). Jinshan is the "hometown of modern Chinese folk painting" and the "hometown of Chinese stories."=

Jinshan has five Buddhist temples – Donglin, Wanshou, Xingjue, Songyin and Wulong. Each has its own cultural characteristics.

Jinshan peasant's paintings are known as "a world art treasure," and Jinshan black pottery is known as a global "black pearl."

Local peasants add the crafts of dyeing, paper-cutting, embroidery and wood caving into the creation of folk paintings. The paintings focus on customs and working scenes of villages in realistic depiction.

The China Peasant Painting Village has been named "National Agriculture Tourism Demonstration Site" and "National AAA Scenery Area." The village is a gallery for peasant paintings from different parts of China. The village is one of Shanghai culture industry parks.