Classical Music in China

Away from the rumble of Shanghai's highways and the cacophony of the shopping districts, stroll down side streets filled with rows of tall [blank] houses. In the early evening or on a weekend morning, you'll hear the sound of classical music drifting from a piano, played by a 10-year old or a grandmother in her seventies. [blank] down another alley toward drab high-rises, you'll hear Beethoven or Mozart flowing from a violin, or perhaps a cello, accordion, or flute.In China, classical music is [blank] as mightily as the 1812 Overture. Fortissimo is in Shanghai, home to China's oldest orchestra, a forte in Beijing and other lively cities, and on a crescendo in farther-flung areas. Commanding Y100-200 ($12.50-$25) per hour, private music teachers in Shanghai can readily earn more than five times the average per capita monthly income.