A play by Chinese playwright and Nobel laureate Gao Xingjian, blacklisted by Beijing, is to premi�re at the annual Hong Kong arts festival.

It will be the first time that the Chinese version of Between Life and Death will be performed, and is almost certain to raise eyebrows in mainland China.

The plot surrounds a woman's inner fear of ageing, life and death.

Gao's works are banned in mainland China, where he lived until 1987.

The writer upset Chinese authorities with Fugitives, set against the backdrop of Tiananmen Square.

He went on permanent exile after the bloody crackdown in 1989 on student-led protests in Beijing and later became a French citizen.

Gao's Nobel Prize for literature in 2000 angered China. He was also snubbed by Hong Kong government officials during his visit to the territory in January.

Among other events at the 33-day festival, China's well-known director Zhang Yimou will direct the National Ballet of China in an adaptation of the tragic movie of Raise the Red Lantern.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma will join force with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra to perform works of Mozart and Dvorak.

Organisers say the festival will cost about HK$60m.