In the early 1990s, Yu returned home and founded the Beijing Music Festival in 1998 followed by the China Philharmonic Orchestra in 2000. He has also been artistic director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra since 2009.

As one of the oldest symphony ensembles in the world, the 140-year-old Shanghai Symphony Orchestra shines on the global stage. It signed with the record label Deutsche Grammophon in June last year and performed a landmark concert at the Forbidden City in Beijing in October under its conductor Yu Long. It was the first classical music event held at the venue since 1998, when a performance of Turandot was staged under the baton of Zubin Mehta.

The country's booming classical music market has seen more Chinese musicians making their name around the world.

One of the nation's biggest classical music stars is Lang Lang. The 36-year-old, who was born in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, studied piano from age 5, and was inspired by watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon film called The Cat Concerto, which features Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No 2.

He now plays to sold-out houses around the world and has become a role model for millions of young Chinese learning classical music.

With more and more young Chinese musicians touring overseas and becoming recognized with international awards, such as pianists Yundi Li, Sa Chen and Yuja Wang, young Chinese audiences have developed an interest in classical music.

When Daniel Barenboim conducted the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Berlin Opera's resident orchestra, in two concerts featuring a cycle of Johannes Brahms' symphonies at the National Center for the Performing Arts on Nov 18, he asked for the concert hall house lights to be turned up before giving an encore.

Looking at the audience, mostly young people, he said: "I have never seen such a young crowd sitting at a classical music concert. It's a surprise."