Tourism and its impact on Dong traditional music and life in Xiaohuang

Abstract

Minority groups have increasingly begun to promote and use their traditional ethnic cultures for economic benefit by attracting more tourists. Indeed, the notion of tourism commodification has raised concerns over the impact on aspects of local culture, such as ethnic music. Existing studies, however, neglect changes in music and the social role of such changes in the context of tourism. To this end, this study explores the influence of ethnic tourism on music and music-related social life by studying the case of Xiaohuang village in China. Semi-structured interviews, participant observation and second-hand documentation were used to collect data. This study found that the style of ethnic music has been commercialized, as evidenced by Mandarin version of songs. Indeed, the role of Dong music has become diversified in different tourism contexts. In addition, tourism has directly impacted on work opportunities and had an indirect impact on music transmission. A discussion is provided about the authenticity of ethnic music, the commodification of tourism, and the inheritance of culture.