"There are few theatrical events in Taiwan that can gather so many brilliant artists from the field," says Chiu, who previously worked as the director of a troupe in which the playwright was a student from the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing. "It's also a platform for cross-Straits cultural exchange."

After getting a taste of theaters from different parts of China, Chiu says he is most fascinated by the many ways in which Mandarin is spoken in the country.

"We all use the same language, but the way we speak it differs from place to place. For instance, the Sichuan dialect sounds softer than some others," Chiu says, adding that local cultural variations have inspired him to produce "heightened dramatic effects" in his future work.

Zu Jiyan, another contestant who has already created several plays, says she has benefitted from talking to Chiu about how undergraduate students in Taiwan study acting.

"They are first asked to open themselves up to everything in theater and then learn to characterize certain figures," says Zu, 27. "That's why they appear more relaxed than us on stage."

Zu, who works as a theater director in Beijing, says she was engaged in writing scripts, rehearsing and touring for most of her time before she arrived in Wuzhen in October. At this year's festival, she got enough time to discuss plays with others and appreciate quality performances from home and abroad over two weeks.

"It's like a fueling station that drives me toward self-improvement," Zu says. "And the atmosphere here is such that we could be hit by sudden inspiration."

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