“Those performances left an indelible mark on some people”: Andrew Ridgeley and Mike Christie on Wham! 10 Days in China

In 1985, Wham! made history as the first Western pop band to play communist China. Documenting the momentous occasion was always at the forefront of the group’s mind, but their initial plans for a documentary fizzled after they clashed with social realist director Lindsay Anderson. Now, over 40 years later, music documentarian Mike Christie brings the duo’s vision to life in Wham! 10 Days in China. Following an advance screening at Soho House in London, Christie and Andrew Ridgeley opened up about this decades-in-the-making venture.

“It was kind of unfinished business in a way,” explained Ridgeley. “We’re coming towards the end of a sort of period of a 40^th anniversary project. This was one of the main events in Wham!’s career, and there was a lot about it that we didn’t know of, the legacy, especially in China… so therefore, it was really important for me to be able to have produced a retrospective, one that really gave an overview of  the hows, the whys and the wherefores.”

For Christie, looking through the archives of this historic moment in time was an enlightening experience. “There was a unicorn of archives that people have talked about for decades, you know, the Wham! in China story,” he said. “I’ve been to China a few times in the 2010s, making different art films and stuff, and my perspective was this is an interesting kind of story because of the Chinese perspective, as well as the music perspective… It moved beyond being this mysterious kind of Raiders of the Lost Ark-type warehouse full of film canisters, though there was a bit of that as well, and it became this much bigger cultural moment.”

At the time, the Chinese citizens had largely been shielded from Western music, with Wham! being their first exposure. “Those performances left an indelible mark on some people, and in several cases, actually shaped the course of their futures, so that is the substantial legacy of Wham!’s trip,” Ridgeley said. “And it is remarkable to see people’s first reaction to that kind of genre of music.”

As such, Christie was mindful that part of the authenticity of the documentary had to entail working alongside Chinese collaborators. “We had a Chinese producer and three or four people helping her,” he explained, before addressing the appearances of Chinese musicians who recalled the impact Wham! had on them. “We understate it in the film, but where it says “rockstar”, that guy is like the Bruce Springsteen of China, and when it says “pop star”, Cheng [Fangyuan] is the biggest-selling, she’s the Madonna of China.”

Ridgeley added, “It had to be an authentic account. It had to really give a sense, a genuine sense, of the endeavour as a whole… It had to have that sense of understanding that we can now apply to the whole thing. And it had also to be kind of warts and all, so this reviewer’s impression is that it is pleasing to see that it reveals and it illustrates a lot of what is thought to have made Wham! appealing.”

Ridgeley delighted in looking back on Chinese fans’ reactions. “To actually hear their testimonies as it were, and to understand the impact that it had on their lives in the epiphanal moment that it represented for them, was a privilege to bear witness to it,” he enthused.

In addition to documenting the cultural significance of the concerts, the film shows glimpses of Ridgeley’s relationship with the late George Michael. “One of the personal favourite bits of the film is where the guys come off stage, and George and Andrew are in the dressing room, kind of going, ‘Don’t ask us what we think!’,” said Christie. “And that moment, where you hear the actual impact for the first time, I get goosebumps just thinking [about it].”

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: