Can I apply for a patent before the project is produced? Because I haven't the ability, I thought of a business plan for fear that someone would beat me to it.

You must be careful when applying for a patent, because the patent protection in China is terrible at present! Be especially careful before you succeed in starting a business. Without a 3-5-year process, the intellectual property lawsuit can't be finished, and whether it can be won or not is still unknown. It is suggested to apply after the time is ripe, which can take the form of technical secret protection (Coca-Cola) and copyright protection.