Photo: Screenshot from website

 
A disappointed Chinese audience demanded ticket refunds after Singaporean singer Mavis Hee only performed for a mere half-hour at a meet and greet music concert in Nanjing, the capital city of East China's Jiangsu Province, on Saturday.

On Sunday, the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism responded that it had received several complaints about Hee's concert. The bureau has since intervened and is currently addressing the matter. However, it is unable to provide further details regarding the concert's approval status.

According to media reports, Hee held a solo concert at a stadium in Nanjing on Saturday night. She sang fewer than 10 songs, with some classic tracks performed by the band instead of her. After interacting with fans for nearly an hour, some audience members began shouting for refunds.

A representative from the Nanjing Bureau of Culture and Tourism on Sunday recommended dissatisfied audience members negotiate directly with the singer's team, adding that if management authorities do intervene, whether the audience will be compensated and the concert organizer punished will depend on the results of an investigation to see if the organizer violated any rules. 

A man surnamed Rong, who claimed to have attended the concert, told Chao News, a media outlet under Zhejiang Daily, that he was disappointed. He noted that he had been a fan of Hee for years and had attended one of her concerts in Nanjing five years ago, for which he had purchased the most expensive tickets.

However, the recent concert did not meet his expectations. Despite paying 680 yuan ($96) for a ticket this time and inviting three friends, he felt let down as Hee only sang the first five songs before engaging in lengthy audience interactions and allowing unknown backup singers to take over the stage.

Some netizens on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo echoed similar sentiments, expressing their disappointment with the performance.

There were also criticisms regarding the pricing of the event, with some stating that if it was meant to be a music meet-and-greet, it should not have been marketed and priced as a concert. Ticket prices for the concert ranged from 380 yuan to 1,280 yuan.

In February, a notice from fans suggested that the event was just a meet-and-greet rather than a concert, despite the ticket information call it a "meet-and-greet concert" with a minimum of 15 songs promised.

Legal expert Fu Jian pointed out that since the organizers promoted the event as a concert featuring Hee's return, they had an obligation to provide the audience with a genuine and complete auditory and visual experience. However, as the organizers failed to fulfill this obligation, consumers have the right to request refunds or partial reimbursements, Chao News reported.

Hee, aged 50, is a popular female pop singer from Singapore who was diagnosed with schizophrenia many years ago, according to the Strait Times.