Ecological Shifts and Cultural Continuity: The Case of Zhuang Liao Songs in Guangxi, China

Meng Jin; Camellia Siti Maya Mohamed Razali; Yu Zhang

doi:10.5216/mh.v25.83449

Autores

Meng Jin Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology, Luo Yang, China, jinmeng8910@sina.com https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6141-8845
Camellia Siti Maya Mohamed Razali Department of Music, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, camellia@upm.edu.my https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4793-7143
Yu Zhang Department of Music, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, yukizhang0816@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9378-0385

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5216/mh.v25.83449

Palavras-chave:

Zhuang Liao Songs, music ecology, ecological adaptation, cultural continuity, identity negotiation

Resumo

The Zhuang Liao Songs (壮族嘹歌) is a traditional duet folk song that is popular in Pingguo County, Guangxi, and carries the historical memory and cultural identity of the Zhuang community. With the rapid development of modernization, urbanization, and digital media, the musical ecological environment in which Zhuang Liao Songs exists has changed significantly. Based on the theory of music ecology and combined with a 12-month ethnographic field survey, this paper explores how Zhuang Liao Songs can achieve adaptation and cultural continuity in the new ecological environment. The study found that Zhuang Liao Songs has expanded its ecological niche through campus education, public performances, and digital communication, and the community has also actively negotiated cultural identity between tradition and innovation. The article proposes a “multi-level ecological adaptation model”, emphasizing that traditional music should be regarded as a dynamic ecosystem, providing theoretical support for understanding the relationship between cultural change and continuity, and providing empirical references for the protection practice of intangible cultural heritage.

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Biografia do Autor

Meng Jin, Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology, Luo Yang, China, jinmeng8910@sina.com

Jin Meng is a lecturer and the Director of the Teaching and Research Section at the School of Educational Sciences and Music, Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology. She holds a master's degree in curriculum and teaching theory from Guangxi Normal University and a bachelor's degree in musicology. Jin is a member of the Erhu Professional Committee of the Henan Provincial National Orchestral Music Society. Her research focuses on music anthropology, with an emphasis on the inheritance and evolution of ethnic minority music, the role of music in ethnic identity, and the interaction between traditional music and contemporary society. Jin has conducted extensive fieldwork in multiple ethnic minority regions, collecting numerous valuable musical materials. In terms of academic achievements, she has presided over and participated in several national and provincial research projects, published monographs, and authored papers in core journals. She has also been invited to attend various ethnomusicology seminars and deliver keynote speeches. Currently, her research is dedicated to exploring methods for the protection and innovation of ethnic music within the context of globalization. By applying theories and methodologies from music anthropology to specific musical practices, she aims to provide new insights and perspectives for the inheritance and development of ethnic music, as well as foster cross-cultural musical exchanges.

Camellia Siti Maya Mohamed Razali, Department of Music, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, camellia@upm.edu.my

Dr. Camellia Siti Maya Mohamed Razali is a Senior Lecturer in Music Composition at Universiti Putra Malaysia. She holds a PhD in Music Composition from the University of Bristol and a Master’s degree from the University of Salford, United Kingdom. Her work bridges Asian and Western musical traditions, focusing on contemporary acoustic, orchestral, chamber, and vocal music. Dr. Camellia’s compositions have been performed at international festivals such as the Bristol New Music Festival and by ensembles including Ensemble Variances, Quatuor Bozzini, and the Bristol New Music Ensemble. She is also active as a researcher, publishing on the intersection of music, text, and transcultural creativity, and has received multiple awards for innovation in teaching and creative writing.

Yu Zhang, Department of Music, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, yukizhang0816@gmail.com

Zhang Yu is a Ph.D. candidate in ethnomusicology at Universiti Putra Malaysia. She holds a master’s degree in musicology from Henan University and a bachelor’s degree in music performance (guzheng) from Zhengzhou University. Before pursuing her doctoral studies, she lectured at several Chinese universities, including Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology and Zhengzhou Shengda University. Her research explores guzheng transmission among the Malaysian Chinese diaspora, with a focus on intangible cultural heritage, digital archiving, and cultural sustainability. Zhang has presented at numerous international conferences, including ICTMD, ISGMA, and AAWM, and has published on guzheng pedagogy, digital heritage, and diaspora music practices. She also performs and promotes guzheng music across Malaysia and China, bridging tradition and innovation through intercultural collaboration and technological integration.