In 2017, more than 400 live shows were held across the country by NetEase Cloud Music where some of the performers made their music debuts.

Speaking about the project, Ding Bo, vice-president of NetEase Cloud Music, says: "By combining talks and workshops with live performance, the audience gets a whole picture about how those young Chinese music talents developed their careers," adding that the live music performance scene is growing in the country.

Nanjing-born singer-songwriter Mu Xiaoya, 24, joined the NetEase Cloud Music project promoting Chinese singer-songwriters early this year. And two of her songs, Song of Cheng Nan and Possible, are already very popular.

Mu learned erhu in childhood and taught herself the guitar later.

In her second year of university, Mu formed her own band and started writing songs.

"Lyrics are important for my song, which is based on my life.

"My first song was less than one minute, but it showcased my mood then.

"For a young singer-songwriter, creativity is crucial.

"It's totally about expressing myself rather appealing to the market," she says.