In contemporary Xinjiang, China, a significant number of Uyghur musicians engage in flamenco guitar performance, profoundly influencing various aspects of Uyghur music. This interplay is fostering the emergence of a new musical genre, similar to what has happened in Latin America and the Caribbean. This paper focuses on the representative musician Kerman Qeyyum as a case study to examine the stylistic delineation of his flamenco fusion. Employing music analysis, interviews, and fieldwork, I categorize and define this “derivative” of flamenco in Xinjiang, distilling the core constitutive elements of flamenco style within the current hybrid context.

Building upon this phenomenon, this paper explores the underlying mechanisms and logics through which musical symbols and aesthetic experiences contribute to the formation of stylistic genres and cultural identities. It further investigates the essential attributes of cross-cultural musical fusion. Drawing on the flamenco concept of duende—a profound, emotive essence—the analysis reveals how specific musical styles, in the midst of globalized musical flows and hybrid evolutions, maintain equilibrium between cross-cultural integration and unified identity. This balance is achieved through the cultural elasticity and polysemy of aesthetic concepts, allowing for adaptive interpretations that transcend geographical and cultural boundaries.

The findings underscore the dynamic role of flamenco as a migratory art form, adapting to local Uyghur traditions while preserving its intrinsic emotional depth. Such fusions not only enrich repertoires but also reinforce communal identities amid cultural exchanges. Ultimately, This paper also suggests that, although the inherent “untranslatability” of concepts like duende may pose an obstacle to cultural understanding, it often also serves as the aesthetic elasticity that fosters sustainable musical dialogues in diverse, interconnected societies.