Dancing to the rhythm of culture and tradition

In recent years, the Munao Zongge Festival, a grand celebration of the Jingpo ethnic group's traditional dance, has attracted public attention. Content related to the festival has generated billions of views across social media platforms.

Traditionally held around the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Munao Zongge was included in China's first list of national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Celebrated as the "dance of paradise" and the "dance of ten thousand people", it is characterized by bold yet simple movements and an infectious rhythm.

Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province, the heartland of Munao Zongge tradition, has produced many popular music videos and livestreams of the festival, fueling its online popularity and a steady increase in tourist arrivals. In 2025, Dehong welcomed 42.92 million tourists, marking a year-on-year increase of 12.8 percent, with total tourism revenue reaching 38.18 billion yuan ($5.56 billion), a year-on-year increase of 18.94 percent.

The viral scenes of Munao Zongge, showing thousands of people dancing in unison, illustrate how traditional culture can successfully resonate with modern audiences. It is a natural expression of cultural confidence. The collective dance ritual dissolves feelings of individual isolation, while the vitality of an ancient tradition satisfies the curiosity for unfamiliar cultures.

At the same time, the strong sense of home and community expressed in China's border regions inspires a deeper sense of cultural identity among audiences. The festival's online popularity is rooted not merely in digital traffic, but in genuine cultural substance, reflecting a growing cultural confidence.

The key to promoting Munao Zongge lies in elevating it beyond a decorative stage backdrop and placing ordinary people at the center of the experience. Visitors and locals alike become active participants, creating and sharing emotional value rather than remaining passive spectators.

Contemporary musical adaptations of the festival are inspired by the Jingpo epic, incorporating imagery to evoke the longing for a spiritual homeland.

These adaptations foster broad public participation and a shared emotional experience, seamlessly blending culture and tourism through music, dance and people.

Equally important, Munao Zongge satisfies the dual desire for individual fulfillment and social connection. Participants, including tourists, revel in self-expression through dance while connecting with others by sharing their experiences online.

Local governments have effectively integrated online communication with offline immersive experiences, transforming traditional culture into tourism experiences that visitors can participate in and remember. This has expanded the possibilities for deeper integration between culture and tourism.

The fundamental question is: How can the surge in popularity be transformed into sustained appeal? Sustained visitor interest requires close coordination across the tourism value chain.

Challenges must be addressed by local governments and the Yunnan tourism industry. One issue is the gap between festival-based excitement and everyday tourism experiences. Beyond the festival itself, visitors may have fewer opportunities to experience the same vibrant atmosphere.

Another challenge is meeting the expectations shaped by social media. Travelers inspired by captivating short videos inevitably expect equally memorable experiences in person.

A seamless journey, from transportation and accommodation to tour guiding and cultural products, is essential for visitor satisfaction. Any weakness in the tourism experience can diminish the appeal created online.

A balance between cultural authenticity and tourism demands is crucial. Excessive commercialization risks diluting cultural significance, while excessive conservatism may disappoint visitors.

The solution lies in a diversified, tiered system of cultural experiences that preserves tradition while making its festive spirit accessible to broader audiences. This approach can create a virtuous cycle where traditional culture and tourism growth reinforce each other.

Transforming traditional culture into lasting tourism advantages requires coordinated innovation across services, products and spatial planning.

Efforts should be made to enhance visibility, accessibility and freedom for visitors to engage with cultural offerings in different ways. More people need opportunities to discover traditional activities, access them conveniently and engage according to their own interests.

Within China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for tourism development, these innovations require more systematic support. Big data analytics can identify visitor preferences. Artificial intelligence can assist in designing personalized travel itineraries, connecting Munao Zongge with surrounding tourism resources.

Talent development should focus on cultivating professionals with a deep understanding of ethnic cultures and modern service skills. Together, these efforts can create an integrated portfolio of tourism products that complement each other across time and space, transforming the seasonal festival popularity into sustained regional tourism demand throughout the year.

Munao Zongge reflects the possibilities of integrating traditional culture with modern tourism. High-quality tourism depends not only on technology but also on preserving the humanistic essence.

Every surge in visitor interest can be an opportunity to pass on cultural heritage and every tourism experience should leave travelers with meaningful emotional connections.

The true competitiveness of high-quality tourism does not depend on online popularity or spectacular crowds, but instead on the exploration, preservation and creative interpretation of cultural depth. Achieving this requires protecting the core values of traditional culture while leveraging modern technology and market mechanisms.

The ultimate goal is to enable local communities to safeguard their cultural roots while improving their livelihoods and allowing visitors to experience, through the joyful rhythm of Munao Zongge, a vivid expression of a better life. This embodies high-quality tourism development and is also a compelling manifestation of cultural confidence.

The author is a researcher at the China Tourism Academy.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.