c3954ec7-b2a7-4fb1-810f-939fc2d49217 George Michael Wholesale Wei-Yin Chen Jersey , former member of the British pop duo Wham!, passed away on Sunday, according to a statement from the singer's publicist on Monday.
The first Western pop music group to perform in the Chinese mainland, Wham! is probably the most recognizable pop music icon for Chinese who lived through the 1980s, a time when the mainland was just beginning to come into contact with popular foreign culture after the adoption of its reform and opening-up policy in 1978.
The singer's sudden death left many in China in shock and sorrow.
"The duo of Wham! were the biggest foreign stars that ever appeared in front of Tiananmen during the 1980s," commented Sina Weibo user Piaomiaodao Daozhukeen on Monday, referring to a famous picture of Wham! members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley posing in front the iconic gate which leads to the Forbidden City during their first trip to Beijing.
Another netizen, Didue, also wrote on Sina Weibo: "I was so shocked to hear that he [Michael] passed away at 53. He was literally the first European and US musician that I had ever heard of."
"George Michael, my childhood idol! 'Last Christmas,'" famous Chinese actress Lin Xilei posted on Sina Weibo on Monday, ending the post with a crying emoji.
Renowned Taiwan singer Terry Lin posted: "[emoji:breaking heart] Another talented singer has left the world [emoji:candle]."
China debut
Three decades ago, Wham! embarked on a world tour which included a visit to China in 1985. Beijing was their first stop in the country. On April 7 Wholesale Martin Prado Jersey , the duo performed at the Beijing Workers' Stadium "in front of about 15,000 people," according to a blog post from public WeChat account Qiyudianying. They then went south to Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, which was the tour's second and last stop. For many people who attended the events, it was the first time they had ever attended a Western music concert.
"Wham! were eager to prove that they were the world's biggest pop band. A concert in China was just the ticket," wrote a BBC report from April 2015 titled "When China woke up to Wham!" The article contributed the success of the duo's China tour plan to their manager Wholesale Starlin Castro Jersey , Simon Napier-Bell.
"The duo's manager, Simon Napier-Bell, tried to convince various Chinese officials over lunch that the concert tour was a good idea. His successful sales pitch hinged on how China would appear to the outside world if George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were allowed to play," the article wrote.
The duo's Beijing debut was a huge success. Though "the audiences were quiet at first, since they didn't know how to response to such a concert," they soon got into the groove and began clapping to the rhythm of the music as Michael encouraged them, according to the WeChat article.
A documentary film Wholesale Andre Dawson Jersey , Wham! in China: Foreign Skies, directed by award-winning British director Lindsay Anderson recorded Wham!'s 1985 China tour. In the documentary, the majority of the audiences can be seen screaming and moving to the rhythm of the band's "Everything She Wants," while Michael sings and dances on the stage, flinging his blonde hair to the music.
Tickets for the concert cost five yuan (72 cents).
"This was affordable considering a jin (0.5 kilograms) of eggs went for 1.29 yuan in Beijing at the time," the Qiyudianying post wrote.
"A ticket cost half a month's salary for some," a blog post from public WeChat account Zhuayinyue. "Many people even came all the way from outside the two cities to attend the concerts."
Cassette tapes featuring the duo's music as well as Chinese covers of five songs "were handed to each concertgoer," wrote the BBC article. The covers included hits such as 'Careless Whisper' and 'Last Christmas' performed by female Chinese singer Cheng Fangyuan.
In his book, I'm Coming To Take You To Lunch: A fantastic tale of boys, booze and how Wham! were sold to China, Napier-Bell explained that the concert organizers paid the royalties for the cassette tapes with 6,000 bicycles Cheap Wei-Yin Chen Jersey , since yuan couldn't be exchanged outside of China at the time.
According to Wham! in China: Foreign Skies, after the performances the duo visited famous scenic spots around the two cities, posing for pictures with local Chinese who were passing by.
Unforgettable impact
By introducing Western concerts to the Chinese mainland for the first time, the concerts made an impact not only on music lovers, but also the musicians of the time.
Years later, Cheng, who was also present at the Beijing live concert in 1985 Cheap Christian Yelich Jersey , could still recall the performance that day. "Many Chinese audience members remained seated, but everybody was shocked by the concert," she says in a video clip on bbcchinese.
"There was a dancer from the warm-up performance who went off stage to perform among the audience. This was very strange for us."
"The music was so loud, which was new to us because when you held a concert back then, there were certain limits on volume," she recalled.
Besides Cheng, rock icon Cui Jian and pop music composer Guo Feng also attended the Beijing concert.
"I will never forget that concert Cheap Martin Prado Jersey ," Guo is quoted as saying in the Qiyudianying post.
"I could see why the Chinese audiences were so shocked and dumbfounded."
The very next year, Guo composed "Fill the World With Love," a pop song that later became a hit across China.
A few years later on the very same stage on which Wham! had performed, he held a concert featuring hundreds of Chinese singers, including Cui, who became famous almost overnight for his lively performance of his song "Nothing to My Name" at the concert.
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