The veteran rock stars will play at the 8,000 seat Shanghai Grand Stage on the 8th April, with the stadium especially created for the Chinese performance, complete with state-of-the-art sound, video and lighting systems.

Although this will be their first appearance in China, the Rolling Stones are fairly well-known throughout the country, with their 'Forty Licks' greatest hits widely available in shops and stores.

The Rolling Stones catapulted to fame in early 1964 after their first Top 10 single 'I Wanna Be Your Man' and a bill-topping tour. While there have been ups and downs in the years to follow, the Rolling Stones are undoubtedly the longest standing rock band in the UK.

Anticipation for the show in China is already running at an all-time high following the incredible critical and box-office response to the Stones' North and South American performances for the 'Bigger Bang' tour, which opened in Boston in August.

Tickets for the Shanghai gig are in great demand although the price is too high for many ordinary Chinese people to afford. They range from 300 yuan to 3000 yuan (£21.50 to £215).

It is not just the Chinese that are excited - the rock greats are equally thrilled by their China experience. As Mick Jagger, one of the founding members of the Stones said, "I'm really excited. We all know that Shanghai is a big important city, so we wanted to make sure it's on our itinerary. We don't want to leave it out."

GLOSSARY 词汇表

legends
传奇人物
cancel
取消
veteran
资深的
well-known
知名的
bill-topping
领头的
longest standing
资历最长的
all time high
历史最高点
box-office
票房
afford
承受；负担
thrill
振奋；兴奋
 debut
首场演出
outbreak
爆发
state of the art
最新式的
catapulted to fame
迅速成名
ups and downs
起落沉浮
anticipation
期待
incredible
难以置信的
in great demand
大量需求
range
（标价）从…到…
itinerary
巡回路线