How George Michael made it over the bamboo curtain with more of a whisper than a wham

George Michael (second from right) and Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley at the Great Wall of China on their 1985 tour. Photo: Getty Images

BEIJING: Despite the buzz worldwide in 1985 about Wham! being the first Western band to perform in China as the country began to open up after the Cultural Revolution, the hour-long concert was not an especially good one.

"It was the hardest performance I've ever given in my life," said George Michael, then 21, a few hours after the April 7 show, according to a Chicago Tribune article written at the time.