This paper presents a comprehensive case study examining the development and implementation of a vertical collaboration model for the project-based living transmission of Gannan Tea-Picking Opera, a significant Chinese intangible cultural heritage. Focusing on the pioneering work of the College of Music at Gannan Normal University, the research specifically investigates how the structured "university-ICH bearer-primary/secondary school" framework facilitates the revitalization of traditional opera within formal educational settings. This investigation is grounded in the college's two key Ministry of Education platforms: the "National Base for the Inheritance of Chinese Excellent Traditional Culture (Gannan Tea-Picking Opera)" and the "Physical Education and Aesthetic Education Integration Action Plan," approved in 2019.The study employs a qualitative case study methodology to conduct an in-depth analysis of this innovative model. Data were collected through multiple sources, including semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (university faculty, national-level ICH bearers, and school teachers), participatory observations of teaching practices and project activities carried out under these platforms, and analysis of curriculum documents and project reports accumulated over a five-year implementation period. This methodological triangulation ensures the robustness and validity of the findings.The findings reveal that the model, supported by these two ministerial platforms, operates through four integrated mechanisms: systematic resource integration, curriculum development, teacher capacity building, and innovative activity design. Within this structure, the university serves as the R&D core, creating standardized teaching materials and providing pedagogical training. ICH bearers, engaged through platform cooperation mechanisms, contribute authentic artistic knowledge and performance techniques to ensure transmission fidelity. Primary and secondary schools act as implementation sites, adapting content for age-appropriate learning and promoting aesthetic education integration. Specific project-based initiatives, such as the "Tea-Picking Opera Campus Inheritance Program," demonstrate how the synergistic combination of these elements creates meaningful learning experiences that effectively align traditional cultural inheritance with aesthetic education goals.The study identifies several key outcomes: a significant enhancement of students' cultural identity and aesthetic appreciation, the development of teachers' competencies in ICH education and aesthetic education practice, the establishment of sustainable transmission pathways for traditional artists, and the expanded educational and cultural value of the two ministerial platforms. Concurrently, the study examines challenges, including resource allocation across platforms, the complexity of multi-stakeholder coordination, and methods for the comprehensive assessment of intangible cultural learning and aesthetic education outcomes.This case offers valuable insights for the global integration of music education and aesthetic education. It demonstrates that strategic inter-institutional collaboration, underpinned by national-level platforms, can effectively bridge the gaps between cultural heritage preservation, aesthetic education practice, and contemporary music education. The model provides a transferable framework for revitalizing traditional performing arts in educational contexts worldwide.This model provides a transferable framework for the revitalization of traditional performing arts and the innovation of aesthetic education in educational contexts worldwide. It holds significant reference value for issues related to cultural sustainability and high-quality development of aesthetic education in the field of music education.