CORRECTION:
Thanks to all who emailed and commented about this announcement. Evidently, reggae artists have performed for Chinese audiences and this show will not be the first. As one commenter said, “still a strong show” nonetheless.
China, which was formed as a nation state under the Qin Dynasty in 221 B.C., will get its very first dose of reggae in its long history on December 31, 2014 when Bitty McLean w/ Sly and Robbie hit the stage at the Guangzhou Starsing Asia Music Festival. The Chinese people will surely feel those strong reggae vibes as the world’s greatest touring rhythm section blesses them with the world’s greatest music!
The official poster of the Guangzhou Starsing Asia Music Festival reads as follows:
“Masters are coming to Guangzhou for the New Year’s Eve celebration!
Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff and Sly & Robbie are world-class reggae masters from Jamaica. As the producer of single Supernatural invited by Madonna in 1989, Sly & Robbie also presented the best version of the classical soundtrack of movie 007. Acting as a group, Sly Dunbar the drummer and Robbie Shakespeare the bassist have amazed the world – together they have already performed about 200,000 songs, which have been nominated several times and won the Grammy Prize. Having performed countless classical rock songs, they are indeed a supreme band.
Here comes the question, Sly & Robbie really will visit China crossing half the globe from Jamaica? – Yes, that’s true! Not less sensational than the arrival of Metallica, Sly & Robbie, together with other supreme bands from home and abroad, has been invited by Chinese known musicians to participate in the Starsing Asian Music Festival of New Year’s Eve Celebration which would be held at the higher education mega center of Guangzhou from Dec 31, 2014 to Jan 1, 2015.
Bitty Mclean, who would be performing on the same stage with Sly & Robbie, is also a big figure.
As a top reggae singer of UK, his series of compositions in early 1990s were in the top ten of the list of UK. He also performed in Promises And Lies, the album of the leading band UB40 well known in reggae field, which turned out to be a great success and approaching the sales record of 10 million.
Bitty Mclean and Sly & Robbie conducted their first collaboration in 2009, together they produced the album which won the praise of the best reggae album of the year by New York Times.
All of his top-list super singles have made him one of the best reggae masters.”
LEGENDARY REGGAE 
By far not he first dose of reggae. Where did you get that from ? Many reggae artists have performed in China already.
example of another reggae artist in China:
Got it from Sly & Robbie’s camp. Will correct.
Came across your blog via your Eek-A-Mouse mix on soundcloud. Sly & Robbie, Bitty McLean won’t really be the first Reggae artists performing in China. I saw Tippa Irie rocking the house here in Chengdu this year… And I am sure there have been a few other artists here as well…Nevertheless – Bitty McLean and Sly & Robbie sounds like a good event… Wish I could check out the concert. Unfortunately Guangzhou is a few 1000 km from Chengdu…
Thanks so much for that info. People checking me hard on this one. I got bad info.
This was established as incorrect pretty quickly I the Pana board, and Guillame said he’d correct the PR side. According to Chinese residents who frequent the Pama board there have been various reggae groups, including the modern Wailers, who have played China in he last 20 years.
It was Guillaume who told me it was the first. Thanks for checking me. Will correct.