Inheritance, Communication and Legend: The Development of Chinese Opera in the Digital Age

Abstract

The 2024 National Census of Local Opera Genres indicates that 47 Chinese opera genres have become extinct and 17 are on the
verge of disappearance, compared with The Annals of Chinese Opera in the 1980s. The alienation of young audiences and the disconnection
between opera and digital communication logic are core dilemmas for inheritance. Based on Raymond Williams' technology-culture interaction model in cultural materialism, this paper constructs a three-dimensional framework of inheritance-communication-legend for Chinese
opera in the digital era. It argues that digital technology is not only a carrier of opera culture but a material extension of its cultural production
mode. Digitally, opera heritage is rescued, skills are analyzed and taught intelligently, and campus education is promoted, with reflections on
the paradox of digital inheritance. Cross-media short-video platforms reconstruct opera discourse through fragmented communication, libretto
visualization, and behind-the-scenes demystification. Digital technology drives aesthetic reconstruction and the evolution of viewing-performing modes to create new cultural legends. The digital transformation of Chinese opera is a profound cultural paradigm revolution, which
demands the organic integration of traditional opera aesthetics and digital technical means to realize the aesthetic nirvana and value rebirth of
this traditional art.