China has made significant achievements in the protection of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) music

but it has also encountered several challenges

among which the issue of inheritance is particularly prominent. The funding provided by the state has played an important role in raising awareness of ICH

collecting and organizing ICH materials

establishing ICH institutions

and conducting related activities. However

its impact on the inheritance of ICH has been limited

and the inheritance issue remains unresolved for many ICH music projects. What assistance can applied ethnomusicology offer in addressing the challenges in ICH protection? This paper aims to demonstrate the value and significance of applied ethnomusicology. The article suggests that after separating from its original "cultural whole"

ICH music often becomes merely a form of staged art. This "staging" cannot fully encompass all ICH music

thereby weakening the motivation for its inheritance. Can the "professionalization" of ICH music inheritors enhance the motivation for inheritance? Is it practically feasible? Through this paper

the author intends to discuss these questions with readers and draw the attention of ICH work departments.