DESIGN-DRIVEN LOCALIZED CULTURAL AND CREATIVE ECOLOGY EMPOWERS LOCAL ECONOMY: A CASE STUDY OF CHANGSHA KILN CULTURAL AND CREATIVE PRACTICE

Cultural and creative industries have emerged as a pivotal engine for local development and employment expansion. As the birthplace of underglaze polychrome ceramics, Changsha Kiln carries profound cultural heritage of the Tang Dynasty Maritime Silk Road with a history exceeding 1,200 years. However, it currently faces the practical dilemma of transforming cultural symbolic value into sustainable economic benefits. Taking the aesthetic connotation of Changsha Kiln as the entry point, this study systematically explores the internal mechanism through which a design-driven localized cultural and creative ecosystem converts heritage aesthetics into sustainable market value and investigates the practical path for design to activate local cultural genes and empower regional economic development. This research adopts a mixed-method approach integrating literature review, case study, and in-depth interviews. Drawing on typical cases and multi-subject experiences in Changsha Kiln's cultural and creative practices, first-hand data were collected through field surveys of heritage sites and interviews with stakeholders, and research conclusions were formed through systematic analysis. The study reveals that Changsha Kiln's design-driven localized cultural and creative ecosystem has developed four core empowerment mechanisms: standardized cultural translation, collaborative production and capacity upgrading, activation of legitimate channels, and stabilized feedback loops. These mechanisms collectively promote local value capture, expand the scope of participating subjects, support practices aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and effectively advance the inheritance of Changsha Kiln's cultural heritage and the enhancement of local economic vitality. This research enriches the theoretical system of design-driven cultural heritage activation and provides practical references for the activation and development of similar cultural heritage sites.