Kanye West Photo: IC

Grammy Award-winning rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, performed a sold-out show in Haikou, South ­China's Hainan Province, on Sunday. Just one day later, an encore performance set for September 21 was announced by the Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports of Haikou City, extending the festivities. 

Prior to the show, Ye met with fans in Haikou restaurants. Before the show, he also shared on social media a childhood photo of himself in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, with the caption: "BACK."

A 24-year-old Singaporean fan named Alex told the Global Times that he was surprised by "how good the overall effects of the show" were since he knew that the show had almost been canceled due to Typhoon Yagi.

He noted that the young "globally connected and open-minded" Chinese fans that he met made him want to visit China again and make some friends.

On the stage, Ye interacted with Chinese fans saying "I Love Haikou." Ye once lived in China at the age of 10. His mother was an English professor and worked as a visiting scholar at the Nanjing University in 1987.

Besides Ye, pop icon Mariah Carey, called "Niujie" (Awesome Sister) in China, also finished her two-day show The Celebration of Mimi in Beijing on Monday.

Carey journeyed to the Great Wall during her visit - and featuring her own style, she did it while wearing heels. Dressed in a chic black dress, black shades, immaculate makeup, and a blow-dried ponytail, she shared a picture of the hike on her X page. 

"At the Great Wall of China!" she wrote. "Someone should've warned me about heels (not that I would've listened)."

Many netizens reported running into Ye in Haikou, while others spotted ­Carey, in high heels, during her climb up the Great Wall in Beijing.

Since the introduction of the 144-hour visa-free policy, the topic of "China Travel" has been trending. 

"The 144-hour visa-free policy has not only attracted international tourists to come over to China but also encouraged international icons to consider performing here," Bruce Xu, a researcher and student mentor in the field of international relations at a US university, told the Global Times.

Xu said that the booming tourism market and increasing global appeal have significantly attracted international performers to perform and travel in ­China at the same time.

"The growing interest in China as both a tourist and entertainment hub has created unique opportunities for global artists to connect with local audiences and explore the country's diverse attractions. For many artists and performers, this presents a chance to expand their reach and tap into one of the world's largest and most dynamic markets," he noted.

Kathryn, a Mariah Carey fan from Shanghai, told the Global Times that she saw many foreign tourists attending the show. 

"I saw four foreign fans just seated in a row in front of me, and many audiences members from different places went to visit Beijing while enjoy the show. I personally went to the Temple of Heaven with some of these fans," Kathryn told the Global Times.