Space Travel News
INTERNET SPACE
Chinese 'Swifties' shake it off at Beijing watch party
Chinese 'Swifties' shake it off at Beijing watch party
By Luna LIN
Beijing (AFP) Feb 6, 2024

Waving glow sticks, and wearing sequin dresses and friendship bracelets, Chinese fans of American pop sensation Taylor Swift turn a normally-quiet Beijing cinema into a raucous celebration of their favourite singer.

The 14-time Grammy winner this month kicks off the Asia-Pacific leg of her "Eras" world tour with dates in Japan, Australia and, in March, Singapore.

She won't, however, be stopping off in China, where she has a devoted fan base.

"She might have more fans in China than all her followers on Instagram," 31-year-old auto industry worker and superfan Flora Sun told AFP.

A bold claim -- Swift has 280 million followers on Instagram.

But the devotion is definitely intense, and fans hope that by packing out cinemas with wild watch parties for her concert film, "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour", they can convince her to come perform.

"Today is the eighth time I have seen the film," 28-year-old educator Qi Yi told AFP at a recent watch party in the Chinese capital.

Wearing a silver sequin dress resembling one of Swift's concert outfits and holding a silver microphone, Qi said she was "really happy" the film was being shown in China.

Fans know every song by heart, belting out the lyrics word for word. Many have the number 13 -- Swift's lucky number -- in temporary tattoos on their hands.

There are in-jokes aplenty: references to Swift's public spats with mercurial rapper Kanye West and even a special "Eras" currency.

"I go to the cinema every weekend to watch it," said 25-year-old Mu Guangyuan, dressed in a purple-and-black graduation robe mimicking one Swift wore when she received an honorary degree in 2022.

He and his friends held papers proving their status as graduates of Taylor Swift University -- with a degree in "Doctor of Swiftie".

Mu told AFP he's been a fan for 15 years -- and that he is going to Singapore to see her next month.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing her," he said.

"I also really hope that she can come to China and meet us Chinese fans."

More than 1.8 million movie tickets have been sold since the concert film's release in December -- making it the highest-grossing music documentary in China with 93 million yuan ($13 million) in earnings.

- 'Positive energy' -

Fans said they would see every one of her gigs if she made it to China.

"Be it Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou or Shenzhen -- wherever Taylor Swift holds her concert, I will go and watch every one of them," one 22-year-old fan said.

Not everyone is so optimistic that she will come to China.

Jess Wang, a megafan who has seen Swift perform in the United States, said she believed that authorities would disapprove of the American superstar's progressive politics.

Her open support for LGBTQ causes, her decision to work with dancers who do not conform to traditional gender roles and "revealing" -- by Chinese standards -- clothing could all land her in Beijing's bad books, Wang argued.

"I don't think Taylor Swift's team would risk censoring (those things) just to get the approval."

And for her fans, that message of openness and good vibes is what they love about her in the first place.

"Taylor Swift gives me positive energy, which helps me to work hard", student Liu Jingyi said.

"She gives me a lot of strength."

Related Links
Satellite-based Internet technologies

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
INTERNET SPACE
Smart devices' ambient light sensors pose imaging privacy risk
Boston MA (SPX) Feb 05, 2024
In George Orwell's novel "1984," Big Brother watches citizens through two-way, TV-like telescreens to surveil citizens without any cameras. In a similar fashion, our current smart devices contain ambient light sensors, which open the door to a different threat: hackers. These passive, seemingly innocuous smartphone components receive light from the environment and adjust the screen's brightness accordingly, like when your phone automatically dims in a bright room. Unlike cameras, though, apps are ... read more

INTERNET SPACE
INTERNET SPACE
Confirmation of ancient lake on Mars builds excitement for Perseverance rover's samples

NASA helicopter's mission ends after three years on Mars

New Year, New images from Perseverance on Mars

Polka Dots and Sunbeams: Sol 4078

INTERNET SPACE
Japan's Moon lander comes back to life

New insights into Lunar evolution with revised geological time scale proposed

Shrinking Moon Causing Moonquakes and Faults Near Lunar South Pole

Japan craft made successful pin-point Moon landing, space agency says

INTERNET SPACE
New images reveal what Neptune and Uranus really look like

Researchers reveal true colors of Neptune, Uranus

The PI's Perspective: The Long Game

Webb rings in the holidays with the ringed planet Uranus

INTERNET SPACE
UC Irvine-led team unravels mysteries of planet formation and evolution in distant solar system

NASA's Hubble Finds Water Vapor in Small Exoplanet's Atmosphere

TESS finds Super-Earth in habitable zone around nearby red dwarf

NASA Puts Next-Gen Exoplanet-Imaging Technology to the Test

INTERNET SPACE
Ex-staff accuse SpaceX of sexual harassment, discrimination

MITRE and MDC team up to advance at Midland Spaceport

Starlab Partners with SpaceX to Launch Private Space Laboratory into Orbit

Sidus Space's 3D Hybrid satellite 'LizzieSat' ready for launch

INTERNET SPACE
BIT advances microbiological research on Chinese Space Station

Shenzhou 18 and 19 crews undertake intensive training for next missions

Tianzhou 6 burns up safely reentering Earth

Yan Hongsen's future dreams as 'Rocket Boy'

INTERNET SPACE
Lucy gears up for a busy year on route to the Jupiter Trojans

Asteroid 2024 BX1 spotted three hours before impact

New Findings from Ryugu Samples Reveal Cometary Organic Matter

NASA's Scout System successfully predicts small asteroid impact over Germany

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.