Re-examining Transmission Modes of Dong Pipa Songs and Cultural Sustainability

Dong pipa songs are a traditional musical form of the Dong ethnic group in southern China, with deep cultural significance and historical roots. These songs are primarily accompanied by the Dong people’s self-made pipa, a stringed instrument, and are used to express the Dong people’s ethnic history, legends, and emotions. Rich in local characteristics and artistic value, Dong pipa songs are a vital means of cultural expression. However, in the face of socio-economic changes and modernisation, the transmission of this tradition is increasingly under threat. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Huangdu Village, Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, between June 2023 and December 2024, this study examined four modes of transmission- community-based practice, staged performance, institutional education, and digital circulation. Data were collected through participant observation, semi-structured interviews with 25 participants, and audiovisual documentation, and were analysed thematically. The findings showed that community-based transmission most effectively maintained improvisation, emotional attachment, and intergenerational relationships, although it was weakened by migration and changing cultural preferences. Staged, educational, and digital modes increased visibility, accessibility, and institutional support but frequently encouraged standardisation, fragmentation, and the redistribution of authority away from local communities. The study argues that cultural sustainability should not be evaluated solely through visibility or the continued performance of repertoire, but through the maintenance of social relationships, community agency, linguistic practice, and opportunities for creative adaptation. This study contributes to ethnomusicology and intangible cultural heritage studies by proposing a multi-modal transmission perspective that evaluates sustainability through social relationships, community agency, and adaptive creativity rather than repertoire survival alone.