American singer and actress Whitney Houston will give a concert here on July 25 as part of her China tour, further heating up the country's entertainment stages that have attracted a number of foreign big-names recently.

The concert will be held in the Beijing National Olympic Sports Center, according to the concert's Chinese sponsor, Poly Culture and Arts Co. Ltd.

Houston, 40, is widely known in China for her rendition of "I Will Always Love You" from the 1992 movie "Bodyguard," in which she starred with Kevin Costner.

The six-time Grammy winner will review most of her classics at the Beijing concert to celebrate her Chinese fans, sources with her music company BMG revealed.

Tickets priced from 180 yuan (22 US dollars) to 1,600 yuan (193 US dollars) have sold well, with the cheapest already sold out, the sponsor said.

With the increase in disposable incomes of urban Chinese families, China has attracted a string of foreign performers such as Mariah Carey, Sarah Brightman, the Three Tenors and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Most of the shows have been held in big Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Foreign artists and musicians need to secure permission from China's Ministry of Culture for their China shows. The procedures have been considerably simplified in order to attract more foreign performers and develop the Chinese entertainment market.