A person working as an Art Director in China typically earns around 28,900 CNY per month. Salaries range from 15,000 CNY (lowest) to 44,200 CNY (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Art Director salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Art Director salaries in China range from 15,000 CNY per month (minimum salary) to 44,200 CNY per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 27,700 CNY per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Art Director(s) are earning less than 27,700 CNY while the other half are earning more than 27,700 CNY. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Art Director(s) are earning less than 19,200 CNY while 75% of them are earning more than 19,200 CNY. Also from the diagram, 75% of Art Director(s) are earning less than 34,500 CNY while 25% are earning more than 34,500 CNY.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Art Director salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
An Art Director with less than two years of experience makes approximately 17,100 CNY per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 22,900 CNY per month, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 29,800 CNY per month, 30% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Art Director(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 36,000 CNY per month, 21% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 39,400 CNY per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 41,400 CNY per month, 5% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 17,100 CNY | |
2 - 5 Years | +34% | 22,900 CNY |
5 - 10 Years | +30% | 29,800 CNY |
10 - 15 Years | +21% | 36,000 CNY |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 39,400 CNY |
20+ Years | +5% | 41,400 CNY |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Art Director salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is High School, the average salary of an Art Director is 20,600 CNY per month.
While someone with a Certificate or Diploma gets a salary of 23,500 CNY per month, 14% more than someone having a High School degree.
A Bachelor's Degree gets its holder an average salary of 33,100 CNY per month, 41% more than someone with a Certificate or Diploma.
Professionals who hold a Master's Degree are rewarded with an average salary of 40,100 CNY per month, 21% more than someone with Bachelor's Degree.
High School | 20,600 CNY | |
Certificate or Diploma | +14% | 23,500 CNY |
Bachelor's Degree | +41% | 33,100 CNY |
Master's Degree | +21% | 40,100 CNY |
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in China costs anywhere from 146,000 Yuan Renminbi(s) to 439,000 Yuan Renminbi(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support the thoery. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Art Director employees in China earn 8% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 30,300 CNY | |
Female | -8% | 27,900 CNY |
Art Director(s) in China are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 12% every 16 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 15 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 8% | |
Energy | 7% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 5% | |
Travel | 4% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 2% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in China for the year 2020. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
An Art Director is considered to be a moderate bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
46% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 54% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 5% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 54% | |
No Bonus | 46% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Art Director is 5% more than that of Advertising / Grapic Design / Events. Also, Advertising / Grapic Design / Events salaries are 6% less than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Advertising Account Executive | 32,600 CNY | ![]() |
Advertising Account Manager | 34,200 CNY | ![]() |
Advertising Account Planner | 17,400 CNY | ![]() |
Advertising Coordinator | 23,800 CNY | ![]() |
Advertising Manager | 45,300 CNY | ![]() |
Advertising Operations Manager | 47,000 CNY | ![]() |
Advertising Strategic Planner | 30,600 CNY | ![]() |
Advertising Team Leader | 27,700 CNY | ![]() |
Animator | 20,100 CNY | ![]() |
Art Director | 28,900 CNY | ![]() |
Artist | 24,800 CNY | ![]() |
Artworker | 17,600 CNY | ![]() |
Assistant Art Director | 23,800 CNY | ![]() |
Audiosual Technician | 16,700 CNY | ![]() |
Broadcast Administrator | 31,200 CNY | ![]() |
Catering Sales | 18,000 CNY | ![]() |
Catering Trainer | 21,900 CNY | ![]() |
Commercial and Industrial Designer | 18,100 CNY | ![]() |
Conference Organiser | 21,700 CNY | ![]() |
Content and Media Production Lead | 34,500 CNY | ![]() |
CopyWriter | 19,000 CNY | ![]() |
Creative Designer | 22,200 CNY | ![]() |
Creative Director | 29,100 CNY | ![]() |
Designer | 16,300 CNY | ![]() |
Desktop Publisher | 14,200 CNY | ![]() |
Director of Graphic Design | 26,200 CNY | ![]() |
Events and Promotions Manager | 47,100 CNY | ![]() |
Exhibit Display Coordinator | 23,200 CNY | ![]() |
Exhibit Display Manager | 29,300 CNY | ![]() |
Finisher | 15,800 CNY | ![]() |
Graphic Artist | 17,900 CNY | ![]() |
Graphic Designer | 18,900 CNY | ![]() |
Graphics Design Supervisor | 24,700 CNY | ![]() |
Imagery Analyst | 17,800 CNY | ![]() |
Imaging Technologist | 16,800 CNY | ![]() |
Interaction Designer | 14,300 CNY | ![]() |
Media Planner | 23,400 CNY | ![]() |
Media Production Coordinator | 22,900 CNY | ![]() |
Media Production Manager | 39,100 CNY | ![]() |
Media Project Manager | 38,000 CNY | ![]() |
Media Relations Representative | 33,200 CNY | ![]() |
Media Sales Executive | 37,900 CNY | ![]() |
Multimedia Specialist | 16,800 CNY | ![]() |
Photographer | 16,500 CNY | ![]() |
PPC Campaign Manager | 29,800 CNY | ![]() |
Print Production Manager | 30,700 CNY | ![]() |
Product and Brand Manager | 46,100 CNY | ![]() |
Sales Promotion Manager | 47,200 CNY | ![]() |
Sketch Artist | 20,300 CNY | ![]() |
Social Media Executive | 37,200 CNY | ![]() |
Technical Typist | 13,100 CNY | ![]() |
User Experience UX Designer | 20,500 CNY | ![]() |
UX Designer | 17,400 CNY | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Beijing | 31,600 CNY |
Changchun | 27,500 CNY |
Changsha | 26,100 CNY |
Chengdu | 32,400 CNY |
Chongqing | 31,400 CNY |
Dalian | 25,800 CNY |
Dongguan | 25,700 CNY |
Foshan | 26,500 CNY |
Fuzhou | 25,600 CNY |
Guangzhou | 34,200 CNY |
Hangzhou | 32,400 CNY |
Harbin | 30,800 CNY |
Jinan | 31,100 CNY |
Kunming | 25,600 CNY |
Nanjing | 30,500 CNY |
Qingdao | 29,500 CNY |
Quanzhou | 26,400 CNY |
Shanghai | 33,800 CNY |
Shantou | 29,900 CNY |
Shenyang | 30,300 CNY |
Shenzhen | 29,700 CNY |
Suzhou | 28,800 CNY |
Tianjin | 31,000 CNY |
Wenzhou | 28,400 CNY |
Wuhan | 31,500 CNY |
Wuxi | 25,200 CNY |
Xi an | 29,200 CNY |
Xiamen | 25,400 CNY |
Zhengzhou | 25,900 CNY |
State | Average Salary |
Anhui | 31,000 CNY |
Beijing | 26,600 CNY |
Chongqing | 26,800 CNY |
Fujian | 29,800 CNY |
Gansu | 25,800 CNY |
Guangdong | 33,400 CNY |
Guangxi | 31,700 CNY |
Guizhou | 27,400 CNY |
Hainan | 25,900 CNY |
Hebei | 30,900 CNY |
Heilongjiang | 28,700 CNY |
Henan | 31,200 CNY |
Hubei | 30,800 CNY |
Hunan | 32,700 CNY |
Jiangsu | 31,500 CNY |
Jiangxi | 30,500 CNY |
Jilin | 26,200 CNY |
Liaoning | 29,700 CNY |
Nei Monggol | 27,900 CNY |
Ningxia | 24,600 CNY |
Qinghai | 25,400 CNY |
Shaanxi | 27,900 CNY |
Shandong | 33,500 CNY |
Shanghai | 25,200 CNY |
Shanxi | 28,100 CNY |
Sichuan | 33,800 CNY |
Tianjin | 25,100 CNY |
Xinjiang Uygur | 26,700 CNY |
Xizang [Tibet] | 23,500 CNY |
Yunnan | 30,400 CNY |
Zhejiang | 29,200 CNY |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in China earn 6% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 28,500 CNY | |
Public Sector | +6% | 30,100 CNY |