Abstract

This study investigates the political, educational, and cultural components of ritual and music under the Song Dynasty, with an emphasis on centralized governing processes, Confucian moral instruction, and the pedagogical legacy inscribed in ceremonial musical systems. The study reveals how music served as a medium of ideological transmission and a tool for building elite literacy through a comprehensive investigation of institutional frameworks such as the Taichang Si, the Guozi Jian, and the civic test system. Ritual and music were more than just creative manifestations; they also helped to shape governance, social hierarchy, and morality. The Po Tower music reliefs at Kaifeng, which prove the Song state’s use of music as a political symbol and public teaching, exemplify this dual role even further. The current recreation of these reliefs through digital media and public performances, such as the promotional video and the Qingming Cultural Festival, exemplifies Song ceremonial music’s lasting cultural roles. These activities reflect a dynamic cultural transmission paradigm in which tradition is actively contested via hybridized forms and experiential literacy.

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