Abstract. The success of pianists from China in world competitions and concert stages in recent decades has become especially noticeable and received wide public recognition. The study substantiates the idea that the active promotion of piano art is largely facilitated by music competitions. The article highlights in particular detail the experience of organising the China International Piano Competition, whose history dates back to 1994. The article concludes that creative competitions can be recognised as a kind of “translators” of national traditions of professional and folk art, contributing not only to the preservation, but also the innovative development of traditions that have developed over the centuries, stimulating their renewal, leading to the progress of national and world art.

Keywords: China, piano competitions, pianists, national traditions, creativity, art, music