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Buddha's finger, China's first astronaut, squads of Olympic athletes ... Hong Kong has been inundated by high-profile, politically correct entertainment from the mainland - aimed at reassuring us that the days of artistic repression are over, and stirring up a sense of nationalism.

It's classical music's turn next week, with two major Chinese orchestras staging five concerts between the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day.

The China Philharmonic Orchestra comes courtesy of Beijing-based China Poly Group, a former PLA-owned conglomerate. The star attraction will be cellist Wang Jian, who found fame as a child prodigy in Isaac Stern's Oscar winning film From Mao to Mozart.

He'll also appear with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, courtesy of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The day after the Wang concert, the SSO will trot out another international star, 22-year-old pianist Yundi Li.

Formed in 1879, the SSO is considered the longest-running western music ensemble in Asia. It's also the performing group whose history most closely follows that of its country's political changes.

The SSO's two performances next week - with eight soloists, in all - will feature half patriotic songs such as Ode to the Red Flag and My Dear Motherland, and half western classics such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

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