-LRB- CNN -RRB- In 1982, songwriter San Bao fell in love with musical theater -- then an alien art form in China -- when he saw a videotaped version of CATS, which became the longest running musical in Broadway history. Fast forward three decades, and San Bao, who has enjoyed a successful career writing pop songs and helming music production at the Beijing Olympics, wants to make home-grown musicals to rival some of Andrew Lloyd Webber's biggest hits. This is what I want -- a real musical with Chinese characteristics, he told CNN. San Bao has made seven musicals since 2005 and his latest Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen -- currently on tour in China -- draws on a collection of supernatural tales written during the early Qing Dynasty. Underwritten by government funding, none of his musicals has yet made a profit, let alone smashed box-office records -- although a 2005 production called Butterflies made it to South Korean stages in a 2008 tour. It takes time for people to appreciate this art form, said San Bao. Ten years ago, nobody in China would spend money buying a movie ticket, but now ? People do n't talk about what movies they watched but about which ones they missed. READ MORE: Shanghai Culture Plaza: Building Asia's Broadway Rave reviews Some Broadway shows have captivated Chinese audiences. French revolution epic Les Miserables was a hit when it debuted in Shanghai in