Veteran Taiwanese singer Donna Chiu has revealed a little-known detail about her one-time boss and mentor - the long-retired iconic singer-actor Steven Liu Wen-cheng.

Taiwan's Apple Daily recently interviewed Chiu, 55, for her upcoming Taipei concert next year, alongside concert guest performer Malaysian singer Eric Moo.

Chiu, who has largely cut back from her activities in the entertainment industry since she married in 1996, said that Liu was so low-profile that he sent a hongbao for her wedding to a post office box.

"I had to collect his hongbao from the post office," she said.

The 68-year-old Liu has stayed out of the spotlight since retiring as a singer at the height of his popularity in 1984. In 1986, he founded the Feiying (Flying Eagle) record label and formed a girl group Feiying Trio, comprising Chiu and fellow Taiwanese singers Annie Yi and Fang Wen-lin.

He shut the label in 1991 and moved to the United States, disappearing entirely from public life - reportedly repeatedly rejecting lucrative offers to perform - and fuelling a personal mystique.

Liu, who is known for hits such as his debut song The Promise (1975) and The Rain In March (1981), has been the subject of several death hoaxes over the years.

Chiu, who said she has not seen Liu in years, added: "I hope he'll come and see me perform, come check in on us 'little eagles'. We've never forgotten him."