In the context of China's national discourse on cultural confidence and the sustainable development of its cultural heritage, music education is tasked with a critical role in fostering students' cultural identity. However, the enduring dominance of the Western classical canon in school music curricula has often marginalized traditional Chinese music, potentially weakening this cultural connection. While recent policies have advocated for integrating traditional music into schools, the linchpin—the preparation of music teachers—remained underexplored. This study investigated the capacity of future teachers to impart traditional music and cultivate cultural identity, which is fundamentally shaped by their own teacher education experiences.This paper reported on a qualitative study that examined the representation and pedagogy of Chinese traditional music within music teacher education programs in China. Focusing on the culturally and industrially significant Yangtze River Delta region, the research addressed three key questions: (1) How was Chinese traditional music represented in the required curricula of music teacher education programs? (2) How was the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching Chinese traditional music developed within these programs? (3) What challenges and successes did recent graduates experience when integrating traditional music into their own teaching?Data collection integrated multiple methods: semi-structured interviews with fourth-year music education students and recent graduates, non-participant observation of core and elective courses, and documentary analysis of syllabi, textbooks, and national policy guidelines. Participants were recruited via snowball sampling, with all protocols approved by the institutional review board.Our analysis revealed a significant gap between policy rhetoric and the operational reality of teacher training curricula. The study identified specific structural and pedagogical bottlenecks—such as insufficient course allocation, a lack of specialized PCK development, and a disconnect between theoretical knowledge and practical teaching skills—that hindered graduates' effectiveness in the classroom.This research contributes to global conversations on decolonizing music education and the role of teacher training in cultural sustainability. By providing a critical structural analysis of music teacher preparation, the findings offer actionable insights for curriculum reformers, teacher educators, and policymakers, ultimately guiding the re-imagination of a music teacher education model that robustly supports cultural identity through the meaningful integration of China's musical traditions.