Meet The Chinese ‘Taylor Swift’: A Breath Of Fresh Air In Christian Entertainment

Taylor Swift tells the stories of 13 sleepless nights in her new album “Midnights” released last week. Meanwhile, her Chinese counterpart’s own concept album is all about waking up — to God’s love.

Singer-songwriter Gloria Tang Sze-wing of Hong Kong goes professionally by G.E.M. — Get Everybody Moving — and has been dubbed “China’s Taylor Swift.” She’s the first Chinese-language artist to have a video on YouTube surpass 200 million views, was the only Asian musician on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016, and is one of the most-streamed female artists in China.

Her latest album, “Revelation,” was released at the end of last month. She describes on social media the 14-track work from Warner Music China as consisting of seven letters to and from heaven.

The compilation, however, is more than an audial experience, but a visual series with the look of a Hollywood blockbuster that takes place in the real and a futuristic virtual-reality world. Together, the music videos for the album’s songs offer an overarching plot of redemption, healing, and hope through a love story with allusions to the Bible. Think of it as a more enlightening “Black Mirror.”

In Christian entertainment, it’s a revelation. The compilation employs creative, accessible, and engaging storytelling to share the Gospel, especially to nonbelievers. American filmmakers could learn from it, and the world could use more of it.

Traditional Christian media has been criticized for its cheesiness, poor cinematography, and lack of originality. There have been greater imaginative efforts in recent years. Most notably, “The Chosen,” a crowd-funded, multi-season series about the life of Jesus and his apostles. There are films inspired by true stories. Projects in development seek to get creative with the telling of biblical stories like the animated film “David.” Other inventive efforts include “The Shift,” a science-fiction allegory.

But perhaps most shocking is that such a big-budget statement with ingenuity has come out of atheism-dominated China.

The lead single, “Gloria,” came from a revelation experienced by the Shanghai-born singer. She was taking a shower when she thought up the melody that instantly gave her peace during a time when she was struggling with isolation and depression and was turning to prayer. The song provides a salvation-pointing message of a pursuing love that is patient, sufficient, and without fear. Its accompanying video features a gray, desolate wasteland with Gloria, the heartbroken protagonist who shares the singer’s name, in tears falling to her knees in prayer. Before her eyes, a sea of water parts and opens the way to a brighter future.

“Gloria, no need to fear,” G.E.M. sings in Chinese. “Gloria, there’s no fear in love / My love will stream endlessly / My love will heal all scars.”

The video has racked up more than 4.3 million views on YouTube. Her wide vocal range has earned her the nickname of “the girl singer with iron lungs,” while her popularity and emphasis on storytelling, especially about love, are why she is likened to

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