Local Milieu in Developing China's Cultural and Creative Industry: The Case of Nanluoguxiang in Beijing

This paper examines the role of creative milieu and cultural heritages in the development of Chinese cultural industry. Through case study of Beijing’s Nanluoguxiang, where several arts institutions and theaters concentrate, it depicts the birth and growth of a creative place for free artists in the institutional changing of Chinese cultural setting. Based on field survey data from artists, managers and visitors, it shows the spouting and growth of local creativities in a transitional economy needs atmosphere of tolerant and frequent social gathering, especially in spaces like cafes and bars. It also suggests that making a good use of local cultural and creative resources like heritages and folk customs enables the superiority of localization standing out in the wave of globalization. The key findings indicate that the newly-built creative parks might be useful to breed the creative products, but not necessary.