BEIJING, China -- The Rolling Stones look likely to finally bring some satisfaction to their Chinese fans, with two concerts set to be staged in Beijing and Shanghai in early April.
Only a handful of western musical acts have ever performed in China, and none would match the aging British rockers.
Although Beijing newspapers have splashed news of the event across their front pages, fans would be wisely advised not to get their ya yas out too soon.
Dates and other details haven't been decided, and the Stones are yet to sign a final contract, a manager of a Beijing concert agency told Associated Press.
Many bands, including the Rolling Stones, have been on the verge of making their Chinese debut only for plans to come unstuck at the last minute.
If the Stones do ply their well-rehearsed trade in China they will join the likes of Suede, Wham, Elton John and Jean Michel Jarre as one of the few western acts to perform in mainland China.
China has in the past treated western rock and pop music with suspicion, but the choice of venues reflects China's new-found affluence and relative liberalism.
Shanghai is a business center set to rival Hong Kong, and Beijing, an increasingly popular tourist destination, is set to welcome the world when it hosts the 2008 Olympics.
The money raised from the concerts will be donated to disabled groups in China, the Union of China's Disabled People said.
The Rolling Stones have released "Forty Licks," a two-CD collection of their greatest hits to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the group's formation.
The band's website has not yet made any formal announcement regarding the planned China concerts.