THE DEVELOPMENT OF KUNMING TUNE AND KUNMING CAVE SCRIPTURE MUSIC IN YUNNAN PROVINCE

Abstract

The sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage, such as Kunming tune and Dongjing music, faces significant challenges in an era marked by globalization and digitalization. The research objective of this study is to systematically examine and compare the post-2005 development trajectories and contemporary adaptation mechanisms of these two representative musical forms in Yunnan Province, with a specific focus on their inheritance status, functional transformation, and communication innovations. Methodologically, this research employs an integrated strategy, combining detailed musical form analysis (including comparative spectrographic and rhythmic studies of archival and contemporary recordings), structured digital ethnography (involving a systematic analysis of 120 short-video samples based on defined selection criteria and coding parameters), and multi-site fieldwork. The principal findings demonstrate that Kunming tune has pursued a path of "digital integration," successfully adapting to short-video platforms through measurable rhythmic acceleration and visual restructuring to reach younger audiences. In contrast, Dongjing music has developed a "sacred-secular" dual-track model, strategically expanding into cultural performance and tourism while preserving core ritual authenticity. Based on these findings, the study proposes and elucidates a "dynamic re-balance" theoretical framework. This framework analyzes the continuous negotiation between the internal cultural logics of each form and external modernizing forces, offering insights of both theoretical and practical significance for intangible cultural heritage policy and the sustainable modernization of traditional arts.

Keywords: Yunnan Province, Kunming tune, Kunming cave classic music, music development