Spatial Distribution and Influencing Factors of Traditional Music Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Mini Review and Spatial Cultural Ecosystem Framework

Abstract

Traditional music represents a vital component of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), reflecting the historical experiences, cultural identities, and social practices of communities. In recent years, scholars have increasingly applied spatial analytical approaches to examine how cultural heritage resources are distributed across geographic landscapes. However, existing studies on the spatial distribution of traditional music heritage remain largely fragmented across regional case studies, limiting broader conceptual understanding of the factors shaping these patterns. This study conducts a mini-review of recent empirical research examining the spatial distribution of traditional music-related intangible cultural heritage in China. Drawing on seven peer-reviewed studies employing spatial analytical methods such as geographic information systems (GIS), kernel density estimation, and spatial clustering analysis, the study synthesizes key spatial patterns and influencing factors. The review reveals that traditional music heritage demonstrates significant spatial clustering, particularly along river systems, mountainous regions, and historical cultural corridors including the Silk Road and the Grand Canal. The distribution of musical heritage is shaped by the interaction of natural geographic environments, socioeconomic conditions, and historical mobility networks. Building on this synthesis, the study develops a spatial cultural ecosystem model that reconceptualizes traditional music heritage as a dynamic system shaped by the interaction and co-evolution of environmental, socioeconomic, and historical mobility systems. Rather than treating these as isolated factors, the model advances a systems-oriented perspective that highlights feedback processes and spatial-cultural interdependencies. The findings contribute to ethnomusicology and heritage studies by offering a theoretically grounded framework for understanding the spatial dynamics, transmission, and sustainability of musical traditions.