Abstract: Abstract: A consensus is reached among government decision-makers and scholars on the necessity of breeding innovative clusters in order to build an innovative country of China. However, the origin of the innovative clusters theory, its theoretical sources, and the relationship between them still remain open and virtually unexplored. A pedigree study of innovation clusters theory is provided and the two important analytical dimensions are discussed: geographic space and techno-economics space, with reference to a number of related theories, such as technological change, interactive learning, innovation systems, industrial districts and industrial clusters, and the geography of innovation. These two dimensions are both worthy of in-depth study, and an independent study on either one will cause the misleading.

Key words: innovation system, innovation cluster, pedigree study, analytical dimension