Making and makerspaces: Exploring community centres as creative hubs in China

Abstract With the great benefits of ‘making’ including self-fulfilment and creativity development, the maker movement has become a social and global phenomenon with great demand for community-based makerspaces. This requires designing appropriate environments with well-developed creative activities in makerspaces to help improve the impacts economically and socially. Much research has investigated the topics of making/makerspaces but primarily focused on Western culture. This study, however, looks into the perceptions, experiences and requirements of people toward making/makerspaces, with an in-depth study of Chinese cases. A qualitative research methodology with mixed methods was employed. The study discusses the key stakeholders’ perspectives including their requirements and expectations, drivers for and barriers of current practices with possibilities of applying bottom-up approaches, and the potential of turning community centres into creative hubs. The key findings will be used to develop a prototype of public makerspaces in China.