Kanye West hosts concert in front of 42,000 fans in Hainan

Grammy Award-winning rapper, record producer, and fashion designer Kanye West, known as "Ye", hosts the "Vultures Listening Experience World Tour Listening Party - Haikou Station" on Sunday evening, the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, at the Wuyuan River Sports Stadium in Haikou, Hainan province.

Local authorities reported that all 42,000 tickets for the event were sold out, with 96.5 percent of them purchased by individuals from outside the island province. The cities with the highest ticket sales include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Beijing, and Chengdu.

On Thursday, West took to Instagram to share a childhood photo of himself in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, with the caption: "BACK (I'm back)."

West lived in China for one year during his childhood when he moved to Nanjing at the age of 10. His mother was a foreign expert teaching English at Nanjing University during that time.

In 2008, West held concerts in Beijing and Shanghai. This time, he performs in Haikou in a listening party format, with a program lineup that is expected to be different from his previous concerts.

Prior to the performance, Haikou faced severe damage to its infrastructure and the western grandstand canopy of the Wuyuan River Sports Stadium as a result of the powerful Super Typhoon Yagi, which made landfall on Sept 6.

Despite the challenges posed by the natural disaster, with support pouring in from various parts of China, and officials, frontline workers, and volunteers coming together to address the damage and restore normal operations in the city.

An internet user commented that Kanye West must have a special connection with Hainan. "When the party kicks off, fans wearing 'coconut shoes' (Chinese translation of Yeezy sneakers), drinking coconut water, and listening to him sing near the coconut grove, the atmosphere will be electric."

Many malls, hotels, and tourist attractions in the province have launched promotional activities for the audience attending the listening party. Hotels near the stadium reported high demand, with overall bookings increasing by six times compared to the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, which fell in June. Several hotels have already sold out certain room types, National Business Daily reported.

A local resident surnamed Xing expressed excitement at the opportunity to attend an international music party in Hainan. "Having the chance to listen to international music right at my doorstep and interact with fans from around the world and across the country, I feel extremely thrilled."

He noted the presence of many trendy individuals in the streets and shopping malls of Haikou in recent days, speculating that many were fans who had come specifically for the music party. "I feel happy to see the fashion trends arriving in Haikou," Xing added.

Hainan, as it develops into a free trade port, has implemented a convenient visa-free policy allowing citizens from 59 eligible countries to enter the province without a visa for up to 30 days for purposes such as business, tourism, family visits, medical treatment, exhibitions, or sports competitions.

Since August, individuals holding ordinary passports from countries with diplomatic ties to China can benefit from visa-free travel to Hainan for up to 144 hours after visiting Hong Kong or Macao and participating in a tour group of two or more individuals organized by a legally registered travel agency in Hong Kong or Macao.