To safeguard and creatively renew Wenchang Dongjing music—China’s national intangible cultural heritage—and to rekindle the contemporary vitality of traditional culture, the three-day conference “Ancient Tunes, New Resonance: 2025 Symposium & Performance on the Legacy and Development of Wenchang Dongjing Music” opened on 18 December at the university’s Zitong campus. Organized by Sichuan University of Culture and Arts, the event has drawn nearly 100 scholars, heritage bearers, cultural-association delegates and performers from Beijing, Taiwan, Sichuan, Yunnan and beyond. Through a blend of academic panels and live concerts, participants will jointly explore modern pathways for transmitting and revitalizing this centuries-old musical genre.

Academic Leadership: Spotlight on Living Transmission and Contemporary Value of Intangible Heritage  

Originating in Zitong—the cradle of Wenchang culture—Wenchang Dongjing music fuses imperial court ritual, Taoist intonation and folk melody into a genre of profound historical depth and artistic value. Anchored in safeguarding intangible heritage while spurring innovation, the symposium zeroes in on how traditional culture can remain vibrantly alive today. By convening a high-level academic forum, scholars will map the genre’s historical evolution, artistic traits and contemporary relevance, and propel its application in education, creative adaptation and culture-tourism integration, offering university-generated insights that strengthen cultural confidence and energize local development.

Collective Wisdom: Universities Demonstrate Academic Responsibility and Social Collaboration  

The event is co-organized by Sichuan University of Culture and Arts together with the Zitong County Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, the Culture, History and Study Committee of the county CPPCC, and the Mianyang Qiqushan Tourism Development Co., Ltd. Research institutes and schools across the university—including the Wenchang Culture Institute, the Conservatory of Music, and the Center for Cultural Performance and Social Psychology—joined forces, demonstrating the institution’s active role in university-locality cooperation, cultural transmission and social service.  

The opening ceremony was chaired by Lin Hai, Executive Vice-director of the Zitong County Wenchang Culture Institute. Liu Guojian, Deputy Director of the Zitong Bureau of Culture, Radio, TV and Tourism, and Luo Jianguang, Vice President of the university, delivered welcome addresses, underscoring higher education’s responsibility and mission in researching, safeguarding and revitalizing intangible heritage. Liu Lixin, Deputy Party Secretary and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Committee of the university, declared the conference open.  

In the keynote session, Cui Xian, researcher at the Music Research Institute of the China National Academy of Arts, and Gan Shaocheng, professor at Sichuan Conservatory of Music, offered in-depth insights from the perspectives of heritage-protection strategies and historical source analysis. Li Lian, President of the Miaoshanxue Women’s Dongjing Ancient Music Association of Tonghai, Yunnan, shared vivid local practices from outside the province. Xia Linqing, distinguished professor of the university, moderated the discussion, while Associate Professor Kong Lingxue and Visiting Professor Jiang Chuanzhao presented the exploratory work of the newly founded university ensemble and discussed strategies for local cultural development, highlighting the institution’s solid commitment to both practice and theory in intangible-heritage transmission.  

The afternoon panel discussions focused on themes such as “Dongjing Music and Rural Revitalization,” “Trans-regional Historical Studies,” “Dialogue between Guqin and Dongjing Music,” and “Action Research on Transmission.” Cultural researchers from Zitong, Yuexi and other localities engaged in multi-dimensional dialogues with Professor Gong Youqian of the university, deepening theoretical reflection and pushing it toward practical application.

Audio-Visual Fusion: Performances Showcase the Contemporary Appeal of Ancient Music  

As a culminating highlight of the symposium, the “Wenchang Dongjing Music Exchange Concert” was staged at the integrated-media theatre of the university’s Zitong campus. Sharing the spotlight, the Miaoshanxue Women’s Dongjing Ensemble from Tonghai, Yunnan, the Mianyang-Zitong Wenchang Dongjing Ensemble and the university’s own Wenchang Dongjing Ancient Music Ensemble presented a feast of music that bridges past and present, court refinement and popular appeal. The performance not only vividly revealed the genre’s distinctive charm but also demonstrated how traditional music can speak anew on today’s stage, earning wide acclaim from students, faculty and distinguished guests.

Root-Seeking Integration: Deepening Cultural Tourism Experiences and Campus-Local Partnerships  

During the event, participating scholars joined the Tonghai ensemble on a pilgrimage to Qiqushan, the cradle of Wenchang culture, for an on-site roots-seeking session, seamlessly blending academic dialogue, artistic performance and cultural exploration. The integration vividly epitomized the highlights of “culture-plus-tourism” and “university-locality” cooperation.  

The symposium and concert series constitute a major step in the university’s sustained commitment to local heritage and intangible-cultural safeguarding. By providing a high-level exchange platform, the university has galvanized scholarly forces, showcased transmission achievements and injected new vitality into the preservation, research and contemporary re-creation of Wenchang Dongjing music, while offering an active model for the creative transformation and innovative development of outstanding traditional Chinese culture.