Taiwanese singer A-mei staged a concert in Beijing last night, her first after a five-year absence due to a boycott triggered by her performance at the inauguration of Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian in 2000.
The three-hour concert, held at the capital's People's Stadium, started under the guard of more than 1,000 police officers.
Despite the police buildup, about 20 protesters managed to unfurl a banner against Taiwanese independence before the concert began.
They chanted slogans against what they called a pro-independence artist and challenged Chang Hui-mei, known as A-Mei, to sing the national anthem of China.
At one point, minor scuffles broke out between her supporters and the protesters.
Since the concert was announced, people angered by A-Mei's singing of the Taiwanese anthem at the ceremony had been rallying for a protest to be mounted against the singer.