In the digital era, especially with Generation Z emerging as a major new force in Chinese society, traditional Chinese music is increasingly disseminated and mediated through online platforms. Using Zide Qinshe---a youth ensemble founded in mainland China in 2014---as a case study, this research examines how the younger generation reconstructs “tradition” and negotiates “authenticity” through their creative practices in contemporary China.

Drawing on an ethnomusicological perspective, this paper employs in-depth analysis of Zide Qinshe’s audiovisual texts and arrangement strategies alongside online ethnography of audience reactions to their work. My research reveals that through a process of selective construction---centered on the aesthetic of the Tang and Song dynasties, the integration of meticulously researched historical costumes and ancient painting-inspired visuals, and modernized arrangements of both classical and crossover pieces---Zide Qinshe creatively reinvents tradition and negotiates “authenticity”. The study further argues that such practices inevitably create a liminal space in which conventional boundaries between tradition and modernity, East and West, are blurred. Within this space, classical literati music is reimagined and revitalized through digital mediation. While this process may not necessarily result in a permanent transformation of external social roles, it indeed shapes individual expressions of cultural identity at the micro level. Rather than a simple act of cultural revival, Zide Qinshe’s practice exemplifies how younger generations reconstruct their relationship with cultural traditions in contemporary contexts. In a globalized world where cultural boundaries are increasingly fluid, their work invites us to reconsider what “tradition” means---not as a fixed inheritance of the past, but as an ongoing dialogue between history, technology, and the imagination of the present.