I'm continually frustrated by internet program notices for classical music performances that say "The programme is subject to change, it'll be determined to the day of performance," with no other indication of works to be performed. It's hard to believe that this is the case. In the West, unless changed suddenly by performer sickness, these things are known months in advance.

What am I missing?

I'm not sure, but your thread is timely because as I was watching the NYE concert on CCTV last night, all I could think about was how far they've come. It was a very nice show (at least to have on in the background). Bertie Higgins also played a few songs and appeared to be digging it.

Well, if you're talking about China, it's that at the last minute, the government could pull the plug on the whole show, or demand some change in the music. Though fortunately, these days this is more likely to happen with rock than with classical.

IME, this is usually just boilerplate. I haven't been to a music performance that deviated much if any from the original stated program. Normally there is advance description somewhere of what the program will be. I'm curious--have you actually attended concerts where a bait-and-switch happened? And if so, was it an international touring ensemble or a Chinese one?

Not sure this is on topic for this thread, but

On New years day , We went to see the movie, '13 Flowers of Nanjing'. It was released in mid December. A movie here in China with about 40 % english and of course both chinese & english subtitles.

It's R rated due to the violent war parts, but a rather interesting & sometimes a funny movie. It might also be titled, ' The13 Flowers of War'.

All the concerts I've attended have been played as announced. It's just that in browsing for concerts to attend, there is too frequently no program listed. I've never been desperate enough to go to one with a blank slate.

Sometimes one can link to a Chinese website with listings in Chinese, but it takes a pretty good knowledge of the language to tell Haydn from Stravinsky--something one could do in Japan with knowledge only of forty-some kana characters. If they're going to the effort to provide an English-language posting, why not translate the program in addition to the venue and dates. Yes, Google translate helps, but not on posters one sees around the city.

As I write this I feel I am a cranky westerner, complaining too much!

Not so , merely a concern of a patron of the arts.

I agree that musicians in Europe tell their concert program in advance, but the same musicians do the same in China. For example I know that in September there were 2 concerts of violist Maxim Rysanov in Hong Kong and the program was well-known a long before.
By the way recently this musician has issued a wonderful disk of Beethoven’s works in collaboration with Kristina Blaumane and Jacob Katsnelson <redacted>. The music is amazing and that’s why I followed the works of these performers and still don’t regret.