During the incubation, creators will be paired with an experienced musician or director to create a musical. The two best musicals will advance to the next phase when a creative team will be formed and trial performances scheduled. Shanghai Culture Square said that it is planning to take the winning project into commercial production by 2020.

"Good original stories are rare and precious and the incubation project hopes to give good stories all the necessary support. People are hungry for good musicals that can tell our stories," Fei says.

"Also, a high-quality musical will provide a great channel to promote Chinese culture to global audiences."

Wang Haixiao, a producer with Shanghai Culture Square, says: "A musical is a multidisciplinary project consisting of music, dance and theater. It's a long process full of uncertainty. You have to learn through practice, and we hope to see in the future Chinese productions that endure for many years of performance."

Shanghai Culture Square will also be organizing a competition for musical songs later this month. Singers will undergo three rounds of competition before the winners are announced in May.

"The competition is meant to introduce musicals and their most celebrated songs to the wider public, as well as to promote Shanghai Culture Square as a leading platform for the musical industry," Zhang says.