Today In History... with The Retrospectors
When Wham! Went To China
Published: 7 April 2025 at 01:30 Europe/London
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Episode notes
George Michael and Andew Ridgely, aka British duo Wham!, became the first Western group to play a gig in Communist China on 7th April, 1985.
The event, staged at the People's Gymnasium in Beijing, was primarily a strategic move aimed at breaking the band in the United States; the brainchild of the band’s managers, Gordon Jazz Summer and Simon Napier Bell, who embarked on a series of hotel lunches with Chinese officials, gradually unveiling the proposal for Wham!'s performance.
The logistical challenges were immense - requiring a jumbo jet solely dedicated to transporting equipment for the concert, and securing funding for an accompanying film from CBS.
In this episode, The Retrospectors consider how the atmosphere was tempered by police presence and cultural sensitivities; reveal just why it was that the audience knew all the songs, even though they’d never heard of the band when they’d purchased their tickets; and discover how NOT to get a clap-along going during ‘Club Tropicana’...
Further Reading:
• ‘Wham! Play China’ (MOJO Magazine, 2023): https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/wham-play-china/
• ‘When China met Wham!’ (CBC Radio, 2015): https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.3028194/when-china-met-wham-thirty-years-ago-the-band-staged-first-western-pop-concert-1.3028466
• ’Wham! In China: Foreign Skies’ (Lindsahy Anderson, 1985): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG5flQd5ETI
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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.
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