Taylor Swift's Clothing Line Logo 'T.S. 89' Could Create Trouble In Sensitive China: Reports

Taylor Swift's clothing line, “T.S. 89,” might have to be shelved in China as it could possibly offend the emotional sentiments of the people in the country, reports suggest. “T.S. 89," which are her initials and birth year, could be interpreted as a reference to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

Hundreds of Chinese were killed while participating in prodemocracy protests. China's ruling Communist Party has banned any reference to the massacre, including on social media, in books and on online media. The ban also includes mentions of the date of the event, June 4, Reuters reported.

China is so sensitive about the date and the year, it also has censored any successive combinations of the numbers 6, 4 and 89 on Chinese social media sites. Internet service providers in China automatically change the reference to “June 4” to “May 35,” to avoid controversy.

People involved in Swift's production team voiced their concern about the logo “T.S. 89,” Reuters said, but the logo still remains on the merchandise. Her clothing line is sold extensively by China's popular e-commerce websites Alibaba and JD.com. The “Bad Blood” singer decided to sell her clothing line in China to curb counterfeiting in the country. So far, the singer did not generated any controversy in China after JD.com sold her album “1989” in its online store.

In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Swift said she wants her career to have some purpose, which goes beyond the monetary benefits. “If you look at Oprah, she’s made so many people happy over the years,” Swift told the magazine. “She’s made so much money, but she’s given so much of it away. ... Same thing with Angelina Jolie. She’s been so productive, but she’s used that position to better other people’s lives, and I think that’s where I’d want to be.”