IMPACT OF CULTURAL AUTHENTICITY AND AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ON GLOBAL APPRECIATION OF YIYANG TUNE: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF EMOTIONAL RESONANCE AND THE MODERATING ROLE OF INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY

Traditional Chinese performing arts, such as the Yiyang tune, face increasing difficulty maintaining global relevance as cultural experiences move into digital and intercultural environments. Although authenticity and online participation are widely discussed, empirical research explaining how these factors shape emotional and appreciative responses among international audiences remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining how the cultural authenticity of Yiyang tune presentations and digital audience engagement influence emotional resonance and international appreciation of the Yiyang tune. The study uses primary survey data collected from 290 international students in China via convenience sampling, and the data were analyzed with Smart PLS 4 to evaluate reliability, validity, direct relationships, mediating effects, and moderating effects using a structural equation modeling approach. Results indicate that cultural authenticity significantly predicts emotional resonance (p = 0.001) and international appreciation (p = 0.009). Digital audience engagement also shows significant positive effects on emotional resonance (p = 0.000) and international appreciation (p = 0.004). Emotional resonance further predicts appreciation (p = 0.006). Mediation analysis shows that emotional resonance mediates the effects of authenticity (p = 0.038) and digital engagement (p = 0.016) on appreciation. Intercultural sensitivity significantly moderates the relationships between authenticity and emotional resonance (p = 0.009), digital engagement and emotional resonance (p = 0.019), and emotional resonance and appreciation (p = 0.000). These findings show that emotional resonance acts as a central mechanism linking cultural authenticity and digital engagement to international appreciation, while intercultural sensitivity strengthens these relational pathways.