Liberal Education Art Course in the Territorial University of Yunnan, China: A Field Research

Abstract

In response to the growing emphasis on cultural diversity, Chinese territorial universities have been exploring ways to integrate local intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and traditional art resources into Liberal Education Courses (LEC). This research aims to (1) investigate the traditional art and cultural resources of ethnic minorities, (2) examine the integration of ICH from regional ethnic minority traditions into university curricula, and (3) design a model "liberal education new art course" that exemplifies this integration. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study involved 160 sophomore students and 15 teachers from Yuxi Normal University, who participated in questionnaire surveys, along with 11 ICH experts and 10 representatives of ICH inheritors and conveners from Yuxi, through in-depth interviews. The findings reveal that traditional art and cultural resources of ethnic minorities mainly include ethnic music and cultural practices. The integration process involves systematically collecting, organizing, and utilizing first-hand data on regional ethnic minority ICH, including compiling music resources and developing teaching materials. This content is incorporated into liberal education art courses through professional and public classes and lectures and workshops focused on ethnic minority traditional cultures. The resulting course, Yunnan ICH Project Folklore: "Calling the Moon" (Dai) Heritage Development Course, is a practical and exemplary model of a new liberal education art course designed to preserve and promote ethnic minority cultural heritage within the university context.