The Development аnd Significance оf Piano Arrangements оf Traditional Chinese Folk Instrumental Works

<jats:p>This article examines the development and significance of piano arrangements of Chinese traditional instrumental melodies from the 20th century to the present. Four stages are identified: emergence, flourishing, peak, and decline. The arrangements adapt pentatonic melodies and instrumental intonations from instruments such as the erhu, pipa, suona, and guzheng into a pianistic context. They expand the expressive range of the piano through ornamentation, parallel fourths and fifths, and imitation of idiomatic techniques. These works establish a distinctive “Chinese style” in piano art by combining Western compositional methods with traditional Chinese musical thought. Their significance lies in both the popularization of the piano in China and their contribution to global piano culture.</jats:p>