The creative renewal of a craft cluster: the role of materiality and mobility in cluster evolution

ABSTRACT

This study explores the evolution and, in particular, the renewal of a declined craft cluster with a 1000-year history of ceramic production in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China. Attention is drawn to the role of materiality of craft production and mobilities of creative craftsmen in cluster evolution. The paper finds that the embedded materials, inherited haptic skills and labour process are crucial for continuity in the evolution of ceramic production. Furthermore, the inflow of creative craftsmen and knowledge is of vital importance to revive product designs and break lock-ins. Their interplay underpins the creative renewal of the ceramic cluster in Jingdezhen.

KEYWORDS:

• cluster renewal
• cluster evolution
• craft revival
• ceramics
• materiality
• mobility

JEL:

• B1
• J6
• O1
• R1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank the three anonymous reviewers for their constructive and helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The employees include not only ceramists, craftsmen and artisans but also salespersons, financial and admin staff in large corporations.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 41601611] and the PhD Research Scholarship in China Tourism from the Monitoring Centre for UNWTO Sustainable Tourism Observatories and the Centre for Tourism Planning and Research, Sun Yat-sen University.