TRANSFORMATION OF CHINA’S PIANO CULTURE: CONCEPTS OF ADAPTATION, HYBRIDITY, AND CULTURAL SYNTHESIS

Abstract

The piano, as a musical instrument of Western origin, has undergone a complex process of adaptation, integration, and reinterpretation within the context of Chinese national culture. Throughout its development in China, the instrument gradually assimilated the characteristic features of traditional Chinese music – its modality, melismatic texture, rhythmic flexibility, and distinctive intonational formulas – resulting in the emergence of unique forms of artistic expression. The article examines the essence of the phenomena of Sinicization and localization of piano music, analyzing the main concepts of adaptation, hybridity, and cultural synthesis that define the specific features of the contemporary development of piano art in China. The study focuses on identifying the key directions of creative integration in the process of nationalizing Chinese piano art, including the combination of folk musical elements with academic forms, the reform of the piano education system, the intensification of interdisciplinary interaction, and the implementation of digital technologies in pedagogical practice. Such a synthesis of traditional and modern approaches forms a new model of musical communication, contributing to the renewal of artistic processes and expanding the potential of contemporary music education. The research demonstrates that the process of cultural adaptation and localization of piano art possesses not only aesthetic but also profound sociocultural significance, as it fosters the preservation of national identity, the actualization of spiritual values, and the revival of cultural memory. In this context, Sinicized piano art emerges not as a mere reproduction of Western models but as an independent direction of cultural development that combines the traditional principles of Chinese music with modern forms of artistic thinking, thereby affirming the creative self-sufficiency and cultural integrity of Chinese society. Special attention is given to the role of compositional creativity and performance interpretation in shaping new artistic models that merge Western harmonic logic with traditional Chinese sound imagery. These processes reflect the tendency toward global cultural exchange while simultaneously emphasizing China’s aspiration for self-affirmation within the global musical space. Consequently, piano art is presented as a dynamic sphere where the traditional and the modern, the national and the universal, are harmoniously intertwined – defining its significance within the system of contemporary musical culture.