Dr. Tingting Tang is a holder of dual doctoral degrees. She was awarded a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Ethnomusicology by UCLA. She also holds a Ph.D. in Ethnology from the Minzu University of China, an M.A. in Ethnology from Yunnan Minzu University, and a B.A. in Tourism Management from Yunnan University of Finance and Economics.
Her upbringing in a multicultural environment, early professional music training, and multidisciplinary academic background have provided a strong foundation for her interdisciplinary research. Her research interests span several distinct areas, including: China’s intangible cultural heritage preservation systems; ethnic minority music in Southwest China; the cross-border ethnic music and culture of Yunnan; and Eastern European musical traditions (such as Bulgarian women’s choirs).
Dr. Tang is also an engaged practitioner who actively participates in social and community initiatives centered on intangible cultural heritage. She is frequently invited to contribute to these activities in roles such as moderator, scholar, collaborator, and consultant. With extensive experience in research, fieldwork, and teaching, she previously held the positions of Associate Research Fellow and Master’s Supervisor at the Yunnan Institute of Ethnic Studies (School of Ethnology and History), Yunnan Minzu University, from 2010 to 2021.
Selected Fellowships, Honors, and Awards
- Dissertation Year Fellowship, UCLA Graduate Division | 2024–2025
- Society for Asian Music Small Grant | 2023
- Graduate Summer Research Mentorship, UCLA Graduate Division | 2021–2022
- Graduate Summer Research Mentorship, UCLA Graduate Division | 2020–2021
- Dr. Marjory Bong-Ray Liu Scholarship, UCLA | 2019–2020
- Herb Alpert School of Music Fellowship and Scholarship, UCLA | 2019–2023
- 中国社科基金青年项目 (Chinese National Social Science Fund, Youth Project) | 2015–2019
Selected Publications and Creative Projects
| 2025 | Co-presenter, translator, guide, and consultant for two-week tour of four Portuguese cities by Naxi musicians He Jinhua (和金花) and Huang Limei (黄丽梅) delivering lectures and performances, workshops, and a CD recording. |
| 2024 | Co-creator and consultant, Episode 11: “Snow Mountain Melodies,” in documentary series Yunnan Music Meets the World broadcast over 100,000+ times in Yunnan’s premium TV channel. https://h5.video.weibo.com/show/1034:5105624690655286. |
| 2024 | Invited moderator, 中国科学家论坛腾冲分会 (Tengchong Branch of China Scientists Forum). |
| 2023 | Invited speaker, “纳西族文化的国际化研究” (Research on the Internationalization of Naxi Culture), 第三届纳西文化公益课 (The 3rd Naxi Culture Non-profit Workshop). |
| 2022 | Author, “With Fascination and Urgency, He Jinhua Sings Naxi Ballads of Southwest China.” Folklife Magazine (Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage), 14 March. https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/he-jinhua-songs-of-the-naxi-of-southwest-china. |
| 2019 | Author, “中缅边境地区跨国外劳生存现状的空间研究” (Research on the Transnational Migrant Laborers’ Living Space in the China-Myanmar Border Area). 云南社会科学/Social Sciences in Yunnan 2019(04): 104–110. |
| 2016 | Author, “大理文化生态保护试验区建设中沙溪古镇的‘真实性’选择” (Choices in the Construction of Cultural Ecology Protection Areas: A Case Study of Shaxi Old Town in Dali City). 广西师范大学学报/Guangxi shifan daxue xuebao 2016(04): 98–103. |
| 2015a | Author, “中缅‘胞波’友谊节日的民族学研究” (An Ethnological Study of the Sino-Burmese “Bao Bo” Friendship Carnival). In 五彩云南 (Colorful Dreams of the Yunnan Minorities), 220–226. Kunming: 云南民族出版社Yunnan minzu chubanshe. |
| 2015b | Author, “‘游悲’纳西音乐长诗的艺术想象与纳西文化” (Naxi Culture and Literary Imagination in the Musical Poem “Youbei”). 学术探索/Academic Exploration 2015(07): 100–106. |
| 2014b | Author, “文化遗产保护中的主体置换研究” (Research on Subject Substitution in Cultural Heritage Conservation). 广西师范大学学报/Journal of Guangxi Normal University 2014(12): 109–114. |
| 2010a | Author. “纳西传统民歌文化功能与文化传统之动态分析” (A Dynamic Analysis of the Cultural Functions and Inheritance of Naxi Folk Songs). 云南民族大学学报/Journal of Yunnan Minzu University 2010(3): 67-70. |
| 2010b | Author, “历史的回声: 论民歌欧维纳西族之社会历史记忆” (Echoes of History: Functions as Social Memory of Folk Songs of the Naxi Ethnic Group). 云南社会科学/Social Sciences in Yunnan 2010(02): 78-81. |
| 2010c | Author, “现代文化场域中的纳西民歌变迁” (Changes of Naxi Folk Songs in Modern Cultural Fields). 青海民族研究/Qinghai Journal of Ethnology 2010(01): 138-142. |
Books
| 2014 | Co-author, 文化变迁的逻辑 (The Logic of Cultural Changes). Kunming: 云南大学出版社 Yunnan University Press. |
| 2013 | Author, 云南纳西民歌研究 (Initial Studies on Naxi Folksongs in Yunnan). Beijing: 民族出版社 Minzu chubanshe. |
Selected English-language Conference Papers
| 2025a | “From Cultural Adaptation to Representation: The Naxi People in Tibet and the Tibetan piwang (Fiddle) of Markam County.” 8th Lisbon Conference: Chinese Music and Musical Instruments—Expanding Horizons: Embracing the Wide Variety of Asian Music and Dance, Mafra, Portugal |
| 2025b | “Folksongs of the Naxi of Southwest China.” Co-presented with He Jinhua and Huang Limei. 8th Lisbon Conference: Chinese Music and Musical Instruments—Expanding Horizons: Embracing the Wide Variety of Asian Music and Dance, Mafra, Portugal |
| 2025c | “TikTok (Douyin) Effects on Soundscape Composition of Naxi Intangible Cultural Heritage in Practice: A Case Study in Eya Big Village.” 66th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Southern California and Hawai‘i Chapter, Los Angeles, USA |
| 2023 | “Cultural Expressions in the Cracks: The Naxi Folk Song and Dance al ka bba laq in Sanba Township of Sub-Tibetan Shangri-La, China.” 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Ottawa, Canada |
| 2023 | “Cultural Expressions in the Cracks: The Naxi Folk Song and Dance al ka bba laq in Sanba Township of Sub-Tibetan Shangri-La, China.” 47th World Conference of the International Council for Traditional Music, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana |
| 2022 | “From Funeral Song to Intangible Cultural Heritage in Southwest China: The Effect of Heritagization on the Naxi Dance-song req mei co.” 63rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Southern California and Hawai‘i Chapter, Los Angeles, USA |
| 2021 | “Teaching Cultural Heritage Physically and Remotely: A Study of Bulgarian Folk Music Transmission in Los Angeles.” 62nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Southern California and Hawai‘i Chapter, Los Angeles, USA |
| 2020 | “Echoes of History: Analysis of Folksong as Social Memory in the Naxi Ethnic Group.” 61st Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Southern California and Hawai‘i Chapter, Los Angeles, USA |