From making-based to innovation-based crafts: A comparative study on the UK and China

Abstract This study seeks to contribute to the understanding of crafts by examining how they evolved from the past to the present. This is realised through a comparative study on the UK and China. It first determines how crafts are defined in both countries and then focuses on the transformation from making to innovation. A systematic literature review was utilised to illustrate the commonalities and differences between the UK and China. This study provides evidence of how the transition from making- to innovation-based crafts could be facilitated by government policies and programmes, by understanding consumption of crafts as well as by strategies fostering localisation and the creative industries.