Arts and Crafts and Creative Design Professionals

How to become a Craft Artist and Designer

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 工艺美术专业人员

Designs and makes traditional arts and crafts and modern craft products for everyday use.

Main tasks

Collecting material on folk customs and analysing what collectors and buyers of crafts want
Developing and choosing designs and proposing ideas for new products
Writing design briefs and drawing design sketches
Using computer software to help design crafts
Researching and choosing materials
Creating works and making product models and samples
Drawing production patterns and designing production processes
Researching how digital technology can be used in arts and crafts

Ways in

University: Creative Arts & Design degrees, Offered by 87 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Design (1305); Fine Arts (1304); Art Theory (1301); majors such as Arts and Crafts, Fine Arts, Art and Design Studies, Product Design, Fashion and Apparel Design, Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Embroidery Design and Craft (550125). Vocational major 550125 Embroidery Design and Craft (刺绣设计与工艺), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Digital Design of Cultural and Creative Products.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Arts and Crafts (350101). Vocational major 350101 Arts and Crafts (工艺美术), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Precious Metal Jewellery Making and Inspection; Digital Design of Cultural and Creative Products.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Fine Arts (350107). Vocational major 350107 Fine Arts (美术), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Digital Creative Modelling.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥72,900 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥50,000 to CN¥112,800. One in ten earn less than CN¥37,000 and one in ten more than CN¥172,000.
This is the figure for the mid group Literature, Arts and Sports Professionals, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥131,500 a year (2025), middle half CN¥84,282 to CN¥158,160.
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Literature, Arts and Sports Professionals holds 0.18% of everyone employed in China; 42.7% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
65.5% are under 35, 30.4% are 35 to 54 and 4.1% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 30 to 34.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Craft Artist and Designer?

Ways in include: Creative Arts & Design degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Embroidery Design and Craft (550125); Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Arts and Crafts (350101).

How much does a Craft Artist and Designer earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥72,900 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Literature, Arts and Sports Professionals. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥131,500 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Craft Artist and Designer?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026