Wham! 10 Days in China

When pop duo Wham! first stepped onto the tarmac of Beijing in 1985, they were driven to their hotel room in a Red Flag, a car reserved for premiers and foreign dignitaries. It’s an indication of the true villain of the story in Wham! 10 Days in China, which looks at the pop duo’s historic world-first visit to China. The antagonist and impediment to the success of the trip is not shown to be the CCP, but rather, the press, with George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley embarking on a gruelling junket in the lead-up to their shows in Beijing and then Guangzhou.

Social realist filmmaker Lindsay Anderson was initially enlisted to direct the documentary 40 years ago, but his vision was a cinéma vérité-esque look at the lives of ordinary Chinese citizens, with Wham! merely incidental. This never-before-seen footage remains, but director Mike Christie intersperses it with interviews with Ridgeley and other key figures, and, crucially, the incessant claustrophobic press intrusion.

At the time, China was still in the process of developing market socialism, ie socialism with Chinese characteristics, of Deng Xiaoping, the architect of modern China. Culturally, the band’s visit is depicted as a pivotal moment in this transition, with the group introducing the country’s citizens to Western pop music. That original realist footage works well here, with a focus on the excitement on the faces of Chinese youth after hearing Wham!’s music for the first time. Prolific Chinese musicians, such as Cheng Fangyuan, recall how seeing Wham! perform inspired them to pursue their own music careers.

Crisp sound editing lends an analogue authenticity to the document of this pivotal time in history. We see the moment the audience in Guangzhou becomes enthralled, watching the Careless Whisper sax solo from David Baptiste, he and his instrument illuminating a stage engulfed in darkness.

The backstage footage is just as riveting. Michael protects his vocal cords while practising; the backing musicians begin an impromptu rendition of Runaway. It’s the sort of raw footage that transplants one right there. There are snippets of Michael and Ridgeley’s dynamic between these candid moments, but these fleeting glimpses may disappoint fans who want to see a true lifting of the veil of their relationship.
Ultimately, however, this isn’t about that oft-chronicled partnership. Christie’s film is an earnest, feel-good look at the communal power of music, which crosses cultural barriers.

Antonia Georgiou

Wham! 10 Days in China is released nationwide on 28^th July 2026.

Watch the trailer for Wham! 10 Days in China here: