The Taylor Swift phenomenon in China: how it fascinates women tired of the conservative era of Xi Jinping

Women singing feminist lyrics denouncing gender inequality. Teenagers in sparkly dresses dancing to songs celebrating LGBTQ freedoms. The number 1989, the most delicate year in modern Chinese politics, is displayed in large letters on the cinema screen.

This was the scene of the tour’s recent concert film screening Taylor Swift’s time in Beijingwhile the American pop giant fills theaters across the Asian nation with a young female audience.

The values ​​celebrated in the program contrast sharply with President Xi Jinping’s increasingly conservative vision about women, providing a rare outlet for young women who reject the ever-tightening social controls and rigid expectations of the Communist Party.

Faced with a shrinking population, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Tse Tung urged women to cultivate a “culture” of childbirth and take on a more domestic role. His administration crushed the country’s nascent #MeToo movement and in 2022 removed women from the Politburo for the first time in decades.

Shuo Tao, 22, has seen the film twice. “It was amazing,” he said, kissing his bicep as Swift does when he introduces her song The Man, about society’s double standards for men and women. “It gave me the courage and strength to say no to the things that hold me back.– added Tao.

Alice Evans, a senior lecturer at King’s College London who researches gender equality, said Swift is “extremely emotionally expressive”, which resonates with a younger, more gender-conscious generation.

“China is a traditionally patriarchal society, where women were expected to obey their fathers and husbands”Evans said. Many educated Chinese women are increasingly critical of sexual harassment, male violence and discrimination in the job market, she added.

Swift, an American billionaire in her 30s, leapfrogged the world’s second-largest economy on the highest-grossing music tour in history, which gave a $5.4 billion boost to the US economy. Their absence comes as China last month recorded its deepest rate of deflation since the global financial crisis, amid falling consumer confidence.

A typical Swiftie spends $1,500 to see a live show, including the cost of tickets, hotels, flights and food. Hong Kong leader John Lee has vowed to “work hard” to attract superstars after the American singer decided to perform in Tokyo and Singapore instead of the financial hub. Instead, the tour launched in China on about 7,000 screens and grossed 95 million yuan ($13.2 million) at the box office, a boon for the industry even if it doesn’t top the list.

“Members of the China Film Bureau are under enormous pressure to fill theaters, due to industry overbuilding and the overall economic slowdown,” said Chris Fenton, a former film executive who wrote Feeding the Dragon, of Hollywood’s relationship with China.

The phenomenon

“Even though she’s not very political, she has her own ideas on important issues”said Juzi, a 20-year-old woman who asked not to reveal her real name for fear of repercussions, explaining why the film had been so successful. . She also highlighted Swift’s public support for the LGBTQ community, another group that has faced government repression in recent years.

The 2023 Barbie movie it was similarly seen as a rare outlet for Chinese feminists, in a nation where the ruling party has stepped up censorship of concerts, films and streaming content. The blockbuster won critical acclaim in China during its limited release, as audiences flocked to see a film that highlighted gender inequality.

Although Swift hails from Beijing’s biggest political rival and is the symbol of an American company often ridiculed by Chinese state media, she has been welcomed in China in the past. The Shanghai stop of his 2024 tour sold out in a minutemaking it the fastest ticket sale in Chinese history.

China’s push is fading after decades of sustained growth. The long-awaited post-pandemic recovery appears to have failed, with data showing warning signs across the economy. Traditional government tools for stimulating growth may not provide such obvious options this time. China’s slowdown could have repercussions around the world.

Swift followed that tour with the release of her fifth studio album in 1989.. The title, along with her initials, TS, has sparked speculation that Swift may run afoul of censors who may interpret the album’s name as a reference to the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 1989.

That controversy did not materialize and the American star continued to find new audiences. Yangyang Zhou, 29, who attended Swift’s Reputation Tour in the UK when she was a student, has seen the film three times. “It’s this feeling that I deserve it,” she said of Zhou, of why she embraced the star’s music.

While Eras runs until March 1, Swift fans across the country are gearing up to catch performances during the Lunar New Year holiday that begins Saturday. A weekly state media magazine summarized in a review last month why the program was a huge success.

“She talks about love, openly and courageously exposes her fragility, and then moves on, continues to love,” the author wrote. “This makes me feel very powerful.”

Bloomberg