Creative migration to peripheral cities: The practice of individual autonomy in Jingdezhen’s design-craft cluster

In light of the challenges of talent loss and industrial decline in peripheral cities, this study examines how some of them are repositioning themselves as creative hubs by leveraging local resources to attract creative talents, and how cultural and creative industries (CCIs) strategies in such cities shape migrants’ mobility and creative practice. Taking the design-craft cluster in Jingdezhen, China as a case study, the research draws on in-depth interviews with 32 migrant artisans. The findings are twofold. First, artisans’ migration is primarily motivated by the pursuit of autonomy. Their migration decisions reflect macro-level pressures, destination-based attractions, and embedded social-productive networks that serve as “anchors” for retention. This dynamic is captured by the proposed Push-Pull-Anchor model. Second, under the governance model of state-owned enterprise-led individual entrepreneurship, municipal CCIs strategies prioritize economic performance while lacking adequate infrastructure and welfare support for individual artisans. Although this approach has stimulated local economic growth, it has also generated productive gentrification and puts artisans’ autonomy at risk.