Arts and Crafts Manufacturing Workers

How to become a Folk Craft Maker

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 民间工艺品制作工

Also called: Paper Cut Artist, Clay and Dough Figure Maker, Kite Maker, Fabric Craft Maker, Inside Bottle Painter, Silk Figure Maker, Sword Maker

Makes paper cuts, clay and dough figures, kites, New Year prints, fabric crafts, inside painted bottles and other crafts from clay, dough, paper, silk, cloth, cotton, bamboo and wood by traditional folk methods.

Main tasks

Modelling clay and dough figures by hand from clay, flour and glutinous rice flour
Making paper cuts by hand with scissors and knives
Building kites by hand from paper, silk and other materials
Painting New Year prints, peasant paintings and thangkas by hand
Making craft umbrellas, fans, scent pouches and fabric crafts by hand from cloth, silk, cotton and bamboo
Making woodcut pictures, pyrography and more from bamboo and wood by hand with tools
Making fine bent brushes and painting inside glass or crystal bottles by hand
Making silk figures by sculpting, painting, sewing, shaping and decorating
Making ethnic costume and other items by hand from fibres and metal

Ways in

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.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Traditional Folk Crafts (750305). Vocational major 750305 Traditional Folk Crafts (民间传统工艺), 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; Creative Product Design.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥57,400 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥45,300 to CN¥71,900. One in ten earn less than CN¥36,300 and one in ten more than CN¥87,900.
This is the figure for the mid group Stationery, Crafts, Sports and Entertainment Goods Manufacturing Workers, 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¥60,000 a year (2025), middle half CN¥46,237 to CN¥80,320.
This is the figure for the mid group Stationery, Crafts, Sports and Entertainment Goods Manufacturing Workers, not for this job alone.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Stationery, Crafts, Sports and Entertainment Goods Manufacturing Workers holds 0.41% of everyone employed in China; 56.8% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
34.2% are under 35, 53.1% are 35 to 54 and 12.7% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 40 to 44.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Folk Craft Maker?

Ways in include: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Embroidery Design and Craft (550125); Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Traditional Folk Crafts (750305).

How much does a Folk Craft Maker earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥57,400 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 Stationery, Crafts, Sports and Entertainment Goods Manufacturing Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥60,000 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Folk Craft Maker?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, 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