Source: CCTV.com

03-10-2008 08:48

On April the 3rd, 1985, in the Beijing Evening News a small article in the top right-hand corner of the third page announced that the British band Wham! would be giving a concert in China in seven days' time.

Cheng Fangyuan, Singer, said, "Wham! was probably the first western band ever to perform in China. The concert was held in the Workers' Stadium and it had an effect as powerful as an atomic bomb. People had never heard such loud, fast-tempo music before."

Wham!, comprising George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, was one of the hottest groups in Britain at the time. Tickets for their Beijing concert were just five yuan. But the black market price was five times that. This compared to average monthly per capita expenditure in Beijing at the time, of just over 47 yuan.

Cheng Fangyuan was a member of the China National Oriental Song & Dance Ensemble. As the first Chinese singer to perform English songs, she was invited by Wham! to host their concert.

Cheng Fangyuan said, "I thought their performance was amazing. I remember the two vocalists running across the stage, playing their guitars, and jumping while singing to the dance accompaniment. It was so new to me. I'd never seen a live performance like it."

Dai Yirong, Channel Director Hit FM 88.7 of China Radio International, said, "Few people had heard of Wham! then. The foreign fans sang along, but the Chinese spectators just sat still, watching."

Cheng Fangyuan said, "I remember the people who stood up, jumping and singing along with Wham! were all foreigners. The Chinese people in the audience just watched in silence. Perhaps they were excited, but they didn't dare move because of the police."

Jin Zhaojun, Music Critic, said, "I was familiar with rock 'n' roll. The live performances and studio recordings were very different. The concert was so full of life. People didn't know much about rock then. The hostess didn't even mention "rock" when she introduced the band."

Not long after Wham!'s live show, Cheng Fangyuan released a cover album.

Cheng Fangyuan said, "I loved their music. It was fascinating. We grew up listening only to formal marches, without access to the other beautiful music, not even classical music."

Cheng Fangyuan had learned to play the erhu as a girl. She'd been active in her school's Maoist publicity troupe, and regularly gave performances. But like everyone else in China during that special period, she had limited access to music.

Cheng Fangyuan said, "The cultural life was like a desert. We only sang songs like 'The Cultural Revolution was Great', watched the Eight Model Plays and listened to the 'Songs of Chairman Mao's Quotations'; there was no beautiful music."