A single dancer in turquoise. A minimalist pulse beneath delicate plucks of guzheng and pipa. A digital ink-wash Qiantang River unfolding across LED floor screens. The Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games opening ceremony's intimate, ambient aesthetic departs from the mass formations and orchestral grandeur of previous Chinese mega-ceremonies. While earlier ceremonies emphasised technological advancement and cultural symbolism, Hangzhou adds a new dimension of explicit environmental consciousness branded as “green games”. How do traditional musical aesthetics uniquely enable this eco-technological messaging?
This paper reveals how Hangzhou 2023 strategically employs a centuries-old practice of sonic engagement with nature, rooted in Taoist philosophy. Traditional instruments like qin, xiao, and di carry embedded associations with literati virtue cultivation and human-cosmos harmony; music-making conducted within natural surroundings is often crucial to the completion of the event, what Killick (2006) terms ‘holicipation’. By pairing these historically intimate sounds with AR landscapes, LED projections, and digital processing, China constructs “eco-tech nationalism”: simultaneously showcasing ancient ecological wisdom and contemporary technological leadership. However, a threefold paradox emerges. Can self-cultivating music-making maintain philosophical integrity when digitally processed, amplified and politicised? When technology generates the "nature" with which processed instruments harmonise, what happens to authenticity in the human-nature relationship? Does technological mediation make these traditional aesthetics globally accessible or strip away cultural specificity? Situated within ecomusicology frameworks, this study explores how traditional musical aesthetics are strategically repurposed through technological mediation to construct eco-technological nationalism, addressing critical questions about authenticity, cultural expression, and music's role in showcasing soft power at mega-events.

Authors:
Lei Ping, Universität Heidelberg, Germany

About the Presenter(s)
Lei PING is an independent researcher beginning PhD studies at Universität Heidelberg with Prof. Barbara Mittler. Her research examines Chinese music in global contexts and popular culture, exploring transcultural dimensions of musical expression.

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