A one-man show directed by Zu Jiyan, a young director based in Beijing, for the Young Theatre Artist's Competition in Wuzhen. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Wu Bi, a participant-turned-judge for the competition, views the event as a turning point in his career. The actor of the National Theatre of China started to also be known as a director and playwright after he won the prize for best play at the third Young Theatre Artist's Competition in 2015.

"The competition is where my dream of becoming a director began," says Wu, who has served as a judge at the event's preliminary contests since the following year.

"Maybe they (the young contestants) differ from one another, but they have one thing in common-purity. That's because they haven't entirely stepped into the industry. They are self-motivated."

This year, 18 plays out of a total of 400 entries were selected by the judges for performances at the Bangwan playhouse.

Zhou Xin, 24, a graduate from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, says that participating in the competition at the playhouse has been on her bucket list for years.

"When Taiwan theater director Stan Lai toured my hometown, Wuhai, 12 years ago with his play Menage a 13, I was fascinated by the art form," says Zhou, who sees Lai, another co-founder of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival, as her idol.