China's New Creative Clusters
Governance, Human Capital and Investment
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:29th Oct '13
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£145.00(9780415603966)
Recognising that creativity is a major driving force in the post-industrial economy, the Chinese government has recently established a range of "creative clusters" – industrial parks devoted to media industries, and arts districts – in order to promote the development of the creative industries. This book examines these new creative clusters, outlining their nature and purpose, and assessing their effectiveness. Drawing on case studies of a range of cluster models, and comparing them with international examples, the book demonstrates that creativity, both in China and internationally, is in fact a process of fitting new ideas to existing patterns, models and formats. It shows how large and exceptionally impressive creative clusters have been successfully established, but raises the important questions of whether profit or culture is the driving force, and of whether the bringing together of independent-minded, creative people, entrepreneurial businessmen, preferential policies and foreign investment may in time lead to unintended changes in social and political attitudes in China, including a weakening of state bureaucratic power. An important contribution to the existing literature on the subject, this book will be of great interest to scholars of urban studies, cultural geography, cultural economics and Asian studies.
This is an insightful addition to the literature on culture and creativity in China. Based on intensive fieldwork in China, Keane takes us into the world of creative parks, zones, bases, and clusters in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou, and shares his keen observations on, inter alia, the governance and epistemic communities that shape these clusters. Building from these grounded empirical observations, he offers clear theoretical insights into the relationships between culture, creativity and innovation.
Lily Kong, Professor of Geography, National University of Singapore
In every discussion of China, Michael Keane’s name stands out unrivalled for his knowledge of China’s history and his sensitivity to China’s interplay of culture, creativity and innovation.
John Howkins, Director, John Howkins Centre on Creative Economy, Shanghai
"Keane’s latest book on ‘creative clusters’ raises important questions, and these questions alone make this a valuable and durable study for researchers and professionals working on China."
Thomas J. Berghuis, University of Sydney, Australia
China Information 2012 26: 381
"the book is a well-grounded account of how creative economy is implemented in China"
Zane Kripe, Leiden University
Asiascape: Digital Asia 2 (2015) 282-283
"Overall, it is an extremely stimulating read, laying out a rich repast of new insights into the relevance the MBH had for the time of its composition and continues to have today. This is a book no MBH scholar can ignore."
Pradip Bhattacharya
The Statesman newspaper 20 September, 2015
ISBN: 9780415726092
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 362g
204 pages