This paper explores the complex roles of Chinese dialect-based clan associations in shaping local musical culture in Jonker Walk, Malacca. Located in the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage site, Jonker Walk’s history traces back to the "Guan Chang" (official depots) of Admiral Zheng He's voyages and served as a primary settlement for early Chinese migrants. Since the 18th century, these associations have enriched Malacca’s cultural landscape with diverse traditional Chinese music. In 2000, Jonker Walk was designated as a "Tourism and Culture Street," making Chinese performance the core of its tourism industry, bringing both new opportunities and challenges to these associations.

Based on four rounds of fieldwork conducted between February 2025 and February 2026, this research combines archival study with musical analysis to examine how these associations navigate the interactions between heritage conservation, tourism development, and commercialization. The analysis unfolds on two levels: first, the evolution of musical forms and performance types within the associations and their impact on the local soundscape; second, how the external context of commercialization and "heritagization" has prompted these groups to adapt and transform their musical presentations. By integrating ethnographic data with musical analysis, this study presents the strategic musical choices made by these diasporic communities as they negotiate their practices within a commercialized heritage context.