According to producer Li Hui, the idea of making Su Dongpo started more than a year ago, after the team finished creating the musical, Youngster Guo Moruo (Shaonian Guo Moruo), which premiered last September.

Youngster Guo Moruo was the first musical production Li Hui and Shen developed together, hoping to inspire the younger generation with the stories of Guo (1892-1978), a leading figure in Chinese intellectual history who made enormous contributions to Chinese literature, archaeology, art and translation, among other areas.

Like Shen, Li Hui also spent decades working in the country's pop music scene, organizing outdoor music festivals and running record companies, such as Jingwen Records, one of the largest record companies in China.

Li Hui admits that, when it comes to musicals, the genre is fairly new to them. "But, we know music, especially about creating a catchy tune," says Li Hui.

"The feedback of Youngster Guo Moruo was good, which inspired us to create a second musical."