Success blooms for Neon Garden

"The poems are long and are hard to remember, so I composed melodies for them," says Zhao, who was introduced to music by his parents and learned keyboard and guitar in school.

"I like music from the 1970s, such as the songs of Teresa Teng, a successful pop singer from Taiwan. Traditional Chinese poetry inspires me and I want to create a series of works based on them. I also write songs of different genres, such as jazz and hip-hop."

Besides the newcomers, the reality show also invites singers who have already gained fame in the music scene to participate, including Liu Liyang and Xu Liang.

Additionally, the show invites crossover artists to attend, such as Chinese origami artist Liu Tong, who created original paper artwork for the musicians and the audience on the show.

"Like songwriting, the process of creating origami expresses personal ideas and is about creativity. I've done many crossover projects, like working with fashion designers and movie makers, and we all inspire one another through the performance of our own disciplines," says Liu.