With the impact of the development of the Creative Industries in the UK and other countries, China adopted the term Cultural and Creative Industry in a national strategy to initiate a structural refinement of the industrial sectors. The animation industry in China has long served as a major original equipment manufacturer (that is, producers of contract work for an external brand) to foreign investors. It then started to develop into a center of original design manufacturers (self-originated work sold to others) and original brand manufacturers (self-originated, self-branded work). This led to a rapid demand for creative talent from higher education institutes. Creativity is a relatively complex concept, and successfully fostering creativity in education demands a clear conception of what creativity and creativity education are. The objective of this chapter is to explore how teachers and students perceive the meaning of the term creativity and identify factors that contribute to teachers and students' conception of creativity in education.
TopThe Rise Of Creative Industries In China
The term Creative Industries was a concept that originated from the Tony Blair Labour Government’s establishment of the Creative Industries Task Force by the Department of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) in the United Kingdom in June 1997. The Task Force designated 13 key sectors of industry as Creative Industries, namely advertising, architecture, arts and antique market, craft, design, designer fashion, film and video, interactive leisure software, music, performance arts, publishing, computer software and computer services, and television and radio. An update in the Creative Industries Mapping Document further defined Creative Industries as ‘those activities which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have the potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property’ (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1998). This is a definition that focuses on economic efficiency and social benefit that is drawn from property rights and employment opportunities (Hong Kong Arts Development Council, 2000). Similar steps were taken in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.
The importance of the Creative Industries is growing among modern post-industrial knowledge-based economies. Apart from the high growth rate’s contribution to economic wealth, the Creative Industries also foster cultural identity and social solidarity (HKADC, 2000) as well as acting as a catalyst for urban regeneration (Jones, Comfort, Eastwood & Hillier, 2004). Moreover, the Creative Industries are not subject to the traditional diminishing of marginal returns, and they do not consume large amounts of material resources as the cost of production. The adoption of the Creative Industries for future economic development can resolve problems of high energy consumption, pollution production and the low level of value added in manufacturing industries (Wu, 2006).