Directed by Huang Kai, a teacher in the music department at the Beijing Dance Academy, the production is inspired by Chinese folk tales and centers on people on the border of life and death. The creative team also included scriptwriter Yang Xinyan and composer and music director Wei Shiquan.

Zhao played the role of Atai, a young man who works hard but fails to gain recognition from those around him. Disappointed and sad, he decides to kill himself after expressing his sorrow.

"I'd been waiting for that moment for a very long time and I was extremely nervous. My heart was racing and my hands turned ice cold before I went onstage for the first show," Zhao said.

"I tried to focus on my performance, and it felt so good afterward. I cannot wait to perform in the production again."

With the pandemic under control in China, and theaters and cinemas gradually returning to full seating capacity, live shows, including musicals－one of the most popular art forms among young Chinese theatergoers－are enjoying a comeback.