Musicology Annotation << Back Formation of Creative Identity of Chinese Avant-garde Musicians Xiaolin Zhao The article offers a comprehensive analysis of the formation of creative identity among Chinese avant-garde musicians, examining it through five key lenses: historical-cultural environment, artistic specificity, institutional conditions, international interaction, and trajectories of future development. Grounded in an examination of the introduction of Western avant-garde musical ideas into Chinese musical art, the study explores how Chinese composers combine elements of tradition and modernity, individual and collective creativity, and national and global infl uences to forge a unique artistic statement. The article emphasizes the significance of cultural policy, the professional education system, and international cultural platforms in the process of identity construction among Chinese avant-garde composers. The author provides examples of specific works by Chinese composers that can be classified as avant-garde, analyses the particularities of the development of Chinese avant-garde music, and outlines its prospects in the context of global and technological transformations in contemporary society. The research aims to contribute to the theoretical understanding and practical comprehension of the mechanisms of identity formation in China’s modern musical culture, as well as to shed light on the specific features of avant-garde music. The author concludes that the avant-garde music of contemporary Chinese composers incorporates influences from traditional Chinese music – partly due to an interest in national culture and partly due to the influence of the political party – while simultaneously employing Western compositional techniques, which together produce the effect of an “avant-garde” sonority. Keywords: Chinese avant-garde music, Chen Qigang, Tan Dun, Liu Sola, Zhou Tian, Jia Guoping, Yao Chen. DOI: 10.25791/musicology.9.2026.1508 Pp. 36-42.