In 1985, Wham! became the first Western pop act to perform in China—and it wasn’t the cultural celebration you might imagine
When George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of Wham! took the stage in Beijing on April 7, 1985, they weren’t just performing—they were making history. As the first Western pop group ever allowed to play in the People’s Republic of China, they stepped into uncharted territory. But for George Michael, the groundbreaking moment came with a heavy emotional toll. Years later, he would reflect on that night as “the hardest performance of my life.”
The road to that historic show wasn’t easy. Simon Napier-Bell, the group’s savvy manager, spent 18 months negotiating with Chinese officials, hosting 143 elaborate banquets, and employing a clever marketing strategy that ultimately tipped the scales in Wham!’s favor over Queen. Napier-Bell prepared two different promotional brochures for Chinese authorities: one highlighting Wham! as clean-cut, youthful pop stars, and another featuring Freddie Mercury in flamboyant, provocative poses. The contrast worked. Chinese officials chose Wham! as the safer choice for a symbolic cultural exchange.
The first concert at Beijing’s People’s Stadium drew 12,000 people, many of whom paid just $1.75 for a ticket—equivalent to three days’ wages for some locals. Others were invited as guests of government ministries. But for much of the show, the crowd sat in near silence, uncertain of how to respond. When Michael tried to get them clapping along, the audience offered what he later described as a “polite but faint” reaction.
The atmosphere was heavy, with police officers stationed around the venue and cameras capturing every moment for the documentary Wham! in China: Foreign Skies. Attendees in the front rows were particularly tense under the bright lights and scrutiny of state-run media. Napier-Bell recalled: “You had 7,500 people on the floor terrified of the lights and the police presence, while another 7,500 in the upper levels slowly started to loosen up. It was surreal.”
The second concert, held three days later in Guangzhou (Canton) for 5,000 people, went a little smoother. The audience seemed slightly more engaged, but cultural differences still created tension. Speaking to CBS News, George Michael admitted: “There were moments when I knew certain movements on stage would come across as offensive rather than entertaining. We had to tone everything down dramatically.”
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, he elaborated: “It was the hardest show I’ve ever done. At first, I couldn’t believe how quiet the crowd was. I didn’t realize they weren’t clapping because they thought we were demanding applause or that they struggled to sync with Western rhythms because their musical background was completely different.”
The significance of Wham!’s concerts in China extended far beyond music. It marked a cultural thaw—a first step in bridging Eastern and Western pop culture. Choosing Wham! over Queen not only influenced global music history but also paved the way for future international artists to perform in a country that had been culturally isolated for decades.
