'Wham! concerts changed lives in China' - Ridgeley

'Wham! concerts changed lives in China' - RidgeleyImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Wham! stars George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley visited the Great Wall of China as part of their ground-breaking tourByDanny FullbrookBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and BuckinghamshirePublished3 hours agoIn April 1985, Wham! landed in Beijing to begin a historic tour, becoming the first Western pop act to perform in communist China.As George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley walked through the airport in oversized 1980s' sunglasses, they were met not by screaming fans but by curious Chinese journalists, one of whom asked what their names were."There weren't as many people as greeted The Beatles," says Ridgeley, 63, when comparing the reception to the Fab Four's famous arrival in America in 1964."It was a much more muted affair. There was no knowledge of us there at the time."The trip was part of a bold plan by manager Simon Napier-Bell to generate global headlines and raise the duo's profile so they could launch a US stadium tour.The pair, who met as schoolboys in Bushey, Hertfordshire, found themselves acting as unlikely cultural ambassadors, introducing western pop music to audiences unfamiliar with it.Image source, Craig HastingsImage caption, Andrew Ridgeley says it is a "real pity" George Michael could not also revisit China and see the lives changed by their visitA new documentary, Wham! 10 Days in China, features remastered footage of the trip and interviews with audience members on how the concerts opened their eyes to possibilities they had never imagined, inspiring some to become singers or DJs.While Ridgeley admits his manager's plan was a "masterstroke", he finds the more "touching aspect" is the impact the visit had on the people of China."It did motivate some people to take up a path in life which they would otherwise not have chosen," he says."So that is a legacy on a perso...