China is in the grip of a piano passion, with superstar rivals and millions playing at home

'One student identified himself as working class and a member of the Communist Party. I was, however, surprised to see a copy of Roger Scruton’s Meaning of Conservatism bulging out of his satchel'

‘When I asked my winsome Han tour guide what would happen when the skyscrapers collapsed, she said with cheerful gusto, “We’ll build them again!”’

‘It’s easy to forget that this sophisticated modern city is nonetheless part of a repressive Communist system’