The impact of 'creative industry clusters' on cultural and creative industry development in Shanghai

•CCJQs in Shanghai contain certain degrees of inter-company linkages and networks, but they are not significant or stable.•The companies with higher economic profitability are preferred, leading to limited vocational variety in CCJQs.•There is little concern about developing a real cultural climate for cultural figures or creative workers.•Unchanged cultural policies are restraining culture and creativity, suppressing bottom-up cultural democracy and diversity.

A 'creative industry cluster' refers to a type of urban quarter that has a high concentration of cultural activities and creative industry companies with on-site networks that create added value. It is often used as a developmental strategy that promotes cultural industries and individual creativities through the provision of conducive cultural surroundings and agglomerative effects. This article examines a transplanted version of creative industry clusters in China, 'chuangyi chanye jijuqu' (abbreviated as 'CCJQ') to explore their impact on China's cultural milieu for the development of cultural and creative industries. A questionnaire survey was conducted within seven sampled quarters, and it was complemented with interviews with quarter administrators and tenants. The survey results show that although CCJQs do contain some functional clustering effects, they do not effectively support small, creative industry companies or individuals, and continue cultural policies that suppress the growth of culture and creativities. The characteristics of the CCJQs in reality differ from creative industry clusters' functions in theory.