China is home to stars like the pianist Lang Lang, it has vast numbers of music students, it's the world's largest exporter of musical instruments, and it's building new venues to hear music all the time. It's also become a magnet for prominent western orchestras. Washington's National Symphony Orchestra just made the trip, and Washington Post music critic Anne Midgette went along:

You can read more about the NSO's trip to China and about classical music in general on the Classical Beat, Anne Midgette's blog.