The 24-year-old musician from Shenyang in Liaoning province is the first of 83 applicants under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme introduced in April this year to be admitted to Hong Kong.

Immigration officers extended their working hours to 6pm to allow Lang Lang to rush straight to Wan Chai from the airport after his nine-hour flight from Vienna was delayed.

Dressed in a glamorous black suit and Louis Vuitton shoes, the pianist was overjoyed as officers stamped the SAR entry visa on his People's Republic of China passport.

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"I'm really happy to arrive in Hong Kong. What's different this time is that I'm here as a quality migrant. I feel very honored to be the first person accepted under the scheme," Lang told reporters.

He said he has yet to decide whether he will apply for permanent residence in Hong Kong after seven years. Lang said he was invited by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen after a performance in June.

"In fact, I have had many opportunities to obtain foreign passports. This is good because I can keep my identity as a Chinese citizen," Lang said.

"I prefer to live in places that are much more quiet. For parties, it'll be Causeway Bay and Wan Chai," he said.

He said he is impressed by Hong Kong's image as a "super-energetic city." He loves his fans and friends and would like to go shopping and visit Hong Kong Disneyland.

Lang said Hong Kong has a very good classical music market and audience, so he will come here more often for concerts.

Lang, who recently obtained a fellowship at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, said he would like to get involved in more musical exchanges or working sessions with students from the academy or other schools.

Lang, who has been appointed a United Nations "Goodwill Ambassador," said he would also like to discuss with young people in Hong Kong ways to improve children's lives.

"I'm a northern Chinese, so Hong Kong is too humid for me. So I think winter here will be perfect for me. I've got to change my clothes tonight, it's too hot," Lang said.

Lang said he will remain in Hong Kong for three days and return to the mainland early next year.

Lang began piano lessons at the age of three and won the Shenyang Piano Competition when he was five.

Under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, applicants must be aged between 18 and 50, with no criminal record.

They must hold at least one college degree, and be proficient in English, Putonghua or Cantonese.