Taiwanese singer A-Meiput her career on hold last year so she could spend more time with her mother, who had surgery for an undisclosed reason.

She did, however, accept the Taitung provisional office’s invitation to stage a New Year countdown concert in her hometown.Admission to the gig was free, with a reported 70,000 people turning up to the event. In fact, it was so popular, the county reportedly raked in NT$700mil (S$33mil) in domestic tourism revenue.