“Listening to the South Gate”
Placemaking, Mediascape, and Tourism Diplomacy Seen Through a Band Performance in Xi’an
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 18965360 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jie Pang (0009-0002-1789-7689, Peking University, Beijing, China, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 591-614 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Contemporary Ethnography (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0891-2416 • E-ISSN: 1552-5414 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/08912416251343826 |
| OpenAlex | W4410874226 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 34 |
This paper is an ethnography of nightly urban soundscape inscribed by “Listening to the South Gate,” a popular street band in Xi’an, China. Drawing upon theories of anthropology of music and cultural studies, it employs three-year participant observations and ethnographic fieldwork to explore how their sonic practices negotiate meanings across physical and digital spaces to achieve the purpose of cultural communication and tourism diplomacy. The analysis reveals that municipal authorities have strategically incorporated this musical phenomenon into urban development plans, transforming spontaneous street performances into curated spectacles. Through creating hybrid spaces blending historical narratives with contemporary digital interactivity, the band has reconfigured the South Gate into both a geo-cultural landmark and a viral social media destination. The new scenes they displayed amplify the appreciable significance of the place and reinforce the local identity, demonstrating street musicians’ evolving roles within platform urbanism in China
Active listening · Advertising · Archaeology · Art · Business · Diplomacy · Geography · Media studies · Music festival · Placemaking · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Tourism · Visual arts · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Communication · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Music History and Culture
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Street music, governance, and cultural policy in San Cristóbal de Las Casas
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Bongo Fury’
Topophilia
Geography, Phenomenology, And The Study Of Human Nature
Street Performance and the City
Social Media
Sociology Beyond Societies
Hybrid Ethnography
The Artistic Work of Street Musicians in Barcelona and Rio De Janeiro
Street Music', Urban Ethnography and Ghettoized Communities
Signs of Imagination, Identity, and Experience
Buskers of New Orleans
Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |