Construction of digital creation development model of intangible cultural heritage crafts in China

The innovative use of digital technology to create resources for intangible cultural heritage crafts (ICHCs) has emerged as a new focus for preserving and transmitting ICHCs. However, not enough research has been done on the variables impacting how ICHCs behave when they are exploited for digital cultural creativity. In order to synthesized and refined the key factors influencing the digital cultural and creative development of intangible heritage crafts. A theoretical model for the digital development of intangible heritage crafts was constructed, and the structural relationships among the factors within the model were analyzed. This study collects relevant textual data from the official websites of China’s main provinces’ ICH (Intangible Cultural Heritage) and large databases between 2016 and 2022. It also develops a theoretical model using grounded theory. The findings indicate that the five primary categories of innovation and inheritance needs, management and maintenance capacity, creative development type, creative application strategy, and creative development benefits have a significant impact. Among these, the ICHC’s digital innovation and development behaviors are a result of their need for innovation, development, and inheritance. The development of digital innovation is contingent upon possessing management and maintenance capacity, which includes technical expertise, digital platform construction, Education and Training support, Community collaboration support and digital governance capability. There are three development modes for digital innovation and ICHC’s development: primary, secondary, and fusion. It utilizes the Focused Crafts Ontology approach, the Branded IP Benefits strategy, and the Focus on Product Innovation approach. The practice of digital innovation and the growth of ICHCs have led to the creation of new opportunities and the benefits of creative development, which are evident in economic, social, and endogenous development. A precise theoretical foundation for systematically examining the digital creative growth of ICHC can be obtained from the research presented in this paper. Establish a digital cultural creation resource that the global community can utilize to revive Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and preserve traditional crafts.