Most Chinese collegiate jazz saxophonists enter the university with substantial classical training, but with limited exposure to jazz idioms, a gap stemming from constrained educational opportunities, scarce resources, and fundamental differences between Western jazz and traditional Chinese musical practices. This descriptive analysis presents a scaffolded pedagogical framework designed to address this disparity by developing jazz fluency through the strategic incorporation of familiar Chinese folk songs into a structured jazz curriculum, thus building bridges for all between the classical and jazz worlds.The methodology involves a systematic, three-tiered scaffolding process to musical transformation. Initially, the rhythmic foundation of pentatonic-based folk melodies is reconfigured through the application of swing feel and characteristic jazz articulations, including staccato, legato, and heavy accents. Subsequently, these melodies undergo melodic enrichment through jazz embellishments such as blue notes, chromaticism, enclosures, syncopations, and anticipations. The final stage entails harmonic and structural reorganization using jazz conventions including blues forms, modal interchange, reharmonization techniques, and rhythm changes.A crucial dimension of this pedagogy addresses tempo sensitivity in swing performance. Students will engage with etudes at slow, medium, and fast tempos to develop rhythmic flexibility. At slower tempos, the triplet subdivision becomes more pronounced, while faster tempos require greater precision in articulating the relationship between downbeats and upbeats. This graduated tempo approach enables saxophonists to internalize the nuanced rhythmic feel essential to authentic jazz expression.Each etude features a fully notated solo containing much authentic jazz vocabulary, serving as both performance material and analytical resource. These composed solos allow students to visualize how jazz language logically unfolds within harmonic progressions, bridging the gap between theoretical understanding and practical application. The pedagogical materials demonstrate how simple folk melodies can be transformed into sophisticated jazz vehicles through the layered application of rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic devices.This approach not only accelerates technical proficiency, but it also fosters deeper conceptual understanding by building upon students' existing musical knowledge. The culturally relevant foundation of folk song material provides an accessible entry point into jazz improvisation and composition. A poster presentation will showcase selected etudes to illustrate the practical implementation of this methodology.Anecdotal evidence suggests that this scaffolded pedagogy significantly enhances the jazz competencies of Chinese saxophonists, potentially enabling qualified graduates to pursue advanced studies internationally. To ensure sustainable impact, future development of a comprehensive etude book and supplementary scale volume is recommended. These resources would provide a structured curriculum for educators and self-guided learning materials for students, contributing to the long-term development of jazz education in China.