Integrating Intangible Cultural Heritage Ethnic Music into University Curricula: A Guizhou-Based Practice for Strengthening the Sense of Community among the Chinese Nation
Guizhou boasts abundant intangible cultural heritage (ICH) musical resources, serving as an important auditory medium for showcasing the pluralistic yet unified nature of Chinese culture. This study takes ICH-based teaching practices at three universities in Guizhou as case studies, employing literature review, classroom observation, and case analysis methods to explore practical pathways for integrating ICH music into university classrooms and strengthening the sense of community among the Chinese people, focusing on three dimensions: educational function, curriculum content, and implementation mechanisms. The study reveals three distinct educational models emerging in the classroom: cultural cognition, emotional empathy, and community-based practice; it demonstrates how teaching integrates traditional Chinese aesthetic education, local ICH elements, and diverse ethnic musical materials, leveraging the curriculum system, dual-teacher teams, teaching resources, and practical learning environments to achieve the synergistic development of aesthetic education, cultural heritage preservation, and the cultivation of a sense of community. This research enriches the empirical body of knowledge on aesthetic education in universities located in ethnic minority regions and provides the “Guizhou Experience” for similar institutions seeking to implement analogous educational initiatives.
[1] Ministry of Education, 2020, Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving School Aesthetic Education in the New Era, viewed July 15, 2026, http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xxgk/moe_1777/moe_1778/202010/t20201015_494511.html
[2] Jia LL, Guo YP, 2026, “Introducing Intangible Cultural Heritage into Schools”: A Practice of Cultural Backflow and Identity Formation. Art Studies, (4): 126–135.
[3] Xiao S, 2023, The Logic and Pathways of Using Ethnic Music Education in Higher Education Institutions to Strengthen the Sense of Community Among the Chinese Nation. Research on Ethnic Education, 34(6): 108–112.
[4] Yan Y, 2026, The Presentation and Value Construction of Music-related Intangible Cultural Heritage Teaching Materials – A Comparative Study Based on Multiple Editions of High School Music Textbooks. Curriculum, Textbooks, and Teaching Methods, 46(1): 148–155.
[5] Ruan HY, 2024, Application of Musical Intangible Cultural Heritage Resources in Aesthetic Education in Higher Education Institutions. China Music, (4): 34–38.
[6] Kang RT, 2021, The Inheritance and Development of Liu Opera from the Perspective of Identity Construction. Journal of Nanjing University of the Arts (Music and Performance Edition), (2): 180–184.
[7] Tan CC, Zhang YS, 2026, The Three-Dimensional Construction of Ethnic Literature and Art in Strengthening the Sense of Chinese National Community. Literary and Artistic Debate, (7): 204–208.
[8] Liao XJ, 2026, A Study on the Development and Implementation Strategies of School-Based Curricula for Intangible Cultural Heritage Musical Instruments: A Case Study of the Miao Suona from Sichuan and Yunnan. Popular Literature and Art, (12): 120–122.
[9] Li WW, 2024, The Logical Mechanism of Implementing “Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritors in the Classroom” Programs in Higher Education Institutions. Journal of Beijing Union University (Humanities and Social Sciences Edition), 22(4): 116–124.
[10] Shi Q, Chen L, 2023, A Brief Study on the Development of School-Based Language Curriculum Resources in Ethnic Minority Residential Areas: A Case Study of the Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. Journal of Qiannan Normal University for Nationalities, 43(1): 69–75.
[11] Yu XL, 2026, A Study on the Musical Characteristics and the Symbiotic Relationship Between the Dong Grand Song and Folk Customs. Contemporary Music, (2): 202–204.
[12] Huang BM, 2014, A Study on the Preservation and Transmission of the Miao People’s “Flying Song” in Guizhou Province. Guizhou Ethnic Studies, 35(9): 65–67.
[13] Zhang Y, 2025, Historical Origins and Cultural Preservation of the Bayin Zuo-Singing Tradition among the Buyi People in Xingyi. Journal of Cultural Studies, (6): 147–150.
[14] Li HH, 2026, Exploring Reform Paths for Ethnic Music Teaching in Higher Education Institutions from the Perspective of Cultural Heritage Preservation. Science and Education Journal, (1): 67–69.
[15] Yu PF, Shen YF, 2025, A Study on Constructing a Cultivation System for the Sense of Chinese National Community in Higher Education Institutions in Frontier Ethnic Regions. Heilongjiang Ethnic Studies Series, (4): 45–54.
