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The World Ahead | Culture in 2024

Female rock stars are becoming increasingly popular in China

But songs about female empowerment still make the government nervous

Portrait of Nova Heart.
Image: Ren Hang

By Anonymous

At a music festival in the Chinese city of Shijiazhuang in mid-October, a fan in the crowd waved a banner that read “Let all women embrace bigger, limitless dreams”. Though its earnestness clashed a little with the smash-it-up attitude of some of the bands, it was clearly a sentiment close to the hearts of many of those present. As 45-year-old Helen Feng, lead singer of Nova Heart, an electronic rock band, strode out on stage, men and women in the mosh pit screamed “Niu bi, niu bi”, a crude term most politely translated as “You’re a bad-ass”.

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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2024 under the headline “Hear me roar”

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