Cultural and Creative Industries as key factors for Chinese economic development. Analysis of Beijing and Shanghai.

The aim of this thesis is to illustrate the development of Chinese Cultural and Creative industries, with a detailed analysis of Beijing and Shanghai realities. "Creativity" has became, during the last years, a fundamental tool for Chinese advancement, both from a economical and industrial point of view. "Creativity" has played a central role as incentive in terms of urban innovation and renovation, a key factor with a strong strategical value in times of financial international crisis. This thesis is born during a period of internship at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai: during this internship, the relevance of creativity as a engine for the city has become clearer as much as the rapid development and the public endorsement to cultural based industries. Starting from a terminological analysis, the essay goes on with an historical overview of Chinese economic reforms and their implications for the cultural and creative industries aspect, to be then concluded with the detailed study of two of the most important creative cities in China: Beijing and Shanghai.