On September 30th, 2009, Cantonese opera was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Over the 15 years since becoming a "World Heritage," Guangdong has submitted a new era's answer sheet in the inheritance and protection of Cantonese opera.

Wang Kui, director of the Institute of Opera Studies at the China National Academy of Arts, has combed through the experiences in "The Decade of Protection Experience for Cantonese Opera Art Heritage": In 2011, the "Regulations of Guangdong Province on Intangible Cultural Heritage" were promulgated to protect Cantonese opera and other intangible cultural heritages in Guangdong.In 2014, the "Work Plan for the further Revitalization of Cantonese Opera in Guangzhou" was reviewed and passed.In 2017, the "Regulations of Guangdong Province on Cantonese Opera Protection and Inheritance" (Guangdong Provincial Government Decree No. 236) were issued, proposing clear protection clauses for the protection, inheritance, development, and dissemination of Cantonese opera within the administrative region of Guangdong Province. In March 2022, the "Work Plan for the Revitalization and Development of Cantonese Opera in Guangzhou (2022–2024)" was officially implemented; on November 19th, 2024, Guangzhou reviewed and passed the "General Plan of Cantonese Opera and Music Culture (Liwan) Ecological Protection Zone (2021-2030)."

In addition to institutional construction, Guangdong has also added many Cantonese opera performance venues. In 2016, the Cantonese Opera Art Museum located on Enning Road in Guangzhou was opened to the public. in January 2023, the new site of the Guangdong Yueju Opera Theater located in Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, began trial operations. In May 2024, the Guangdong Cantonese Opera Culture Center project located on Dongfeng East Road in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, was approved for construction. On October 30th, 2024, the new site of the Foshan Cantonese Opera House located in Chancheng District, Foshan, was officially put into use.

In recent years, Guangdong has created many new platforms and projects dedicated to the training of Cantonese opera talents.

In March 2023, the Guangdong Dance and Drama College (now renamed: Guangdong Vocational College of Arts) officially established a Cantonese opera college. The newly established Cantonese opera college offers two majors: Cantonese opera performance and Cantonese opera music, and has established the first long-term pilot program for opera performance majors in the South China region — an eight-year integrated long-term pilot program for opera performance majors, constructing a system for Cantonese opera teaching, research, performance, and creation.

In recent years, a large number of Cantonese opera characteristic activities facing young people and the public have emerged, such as Guangdong Youth Cantonese Opera Summer Camp, Cantonese opera social grading, and Cantonese opera exercises. Among them, the Cantonese opera social grading officially started on December 11th, 2021, and as of this June, nearly a thousand people have participated in the assessment and obtained certificates.

It is worth mentioning that the "Compendium of Cantonese Opera Performance Art," which took eight years to compile, was officially launched in November 2024. Its launch marks Cantonese opera as the first domestic drama genre to systematically and completely present the performance art system.

In recent years, Cantonese opera has also focused on keeping pace with the times in terms of dissemination.

The recently concluded 9th Cantonese Opera Festival (formerly the Yangcheng International Cantonese Opera Festival) attracted thousands of Cantonese opera enthusiasts from home and abroad. It is reported that the total online exposure of this Cantonese opera festival exceeded 65 million times, and the international dissemination covered users in 45 countries and 35 languages.

On November 20th, the 2024 Cantonese Opera Network Information Officer Training Activity started in Guangzhou. It is reported that the website's click-through rate has exceeded 130 million times, becoming one of the world's most influential Cantonese opera professional websites.

In addition, the launch of Cantonese opera films such as "White Snake" and "Madam Xian" has also greatly expanded the dissemination channels of Cantonese opera.

Source: Lingnan On the Cloud

粤剧“世遗”十五载，广东交出新答卷

2009年9月30日，粤剧被列入联合国教科文组织“人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录”。成为“世遗”的15年来，在粤剧的传承和保护工作中，广东交出了新的时代答卷。

中国艺术研究院戏曲研究所所长王馗曾在《粤剧艺术遗产的十年保护经验》中进行了梳理：2011年，《广东省非物质文化遗产条例》公布，对粤剧在内的广东非物质文化遗产进行保护；2014年，《广州市进一步振兴粤剧事业总体工作方案》获审议通过；2017年，《广东省粤剧保护传承规定》（粤府令第236号）颁发，对广东省行政区域内粤剧的保护、传承、发展与传播提出明确的保护条款；2022年3月，《广州市关于振兴发展粤剧事业工作方案（2022-2024）》正式实施；2024年11月19日，广州审议通过了《粤剧粤曲文化（荔湾）生态保护区总体规划（2021-2030）》。

除了制度建设，广东还增设了众多的粤剧演出场所。2016年，位于广州市恩宁路的粤剧艺术博物馆对外开放；2023年1月，位于广州市天河区珠江新城的广州粤剧院新址开始试运营；2024年5月，位于广州市越秀区东风东路的广东粤剧文化中心项目获批建设；2024年10月30日，位于佛山市禅城区的佛山粤剧院新址正式启用。

近年来，广东打造了不少新平台、新项目，致力于粤剧人才的培养。

2023年3月，广东舞蹈戏剧职业学院（现更名为：广东艺术职业学院）正式成立粤剧学院。新成立的粤剧学院开设粤剧表演、粤剧音乐两个专业，开设华南地区第一个戏曲类长学制试点专业——戏曲表演专业八年一贯制长学制试点，构建粤剧教学、科研、演出、创作体系。

广东省青少年粤剧夏令营、粤剧社会化考级、粤韵操……近年来一大批面对青少年、面对社会公众的粤剧特色活动涌现。其中，粤剧社会化考级于2021年12月11日正式开考，截至今年6月，已有近千人参与考核并获得证书。

值得一提的是，《粤剧表演艺术大全》经过八年时间编撰，于2024年11月正式推出。它的推出，标志着粤剧成为国内第一个系统完整地呈现表演艺术体系的剧种。

近年来，粤剧在传播方面亦注重与时俱进。

刚刚结束的第九届羊城粤剧节，吸引了海内外数千名粤剧知音前来参加。据悉，本届粤剧节的全网曝光量超6500万次，国际化传播覆盖全球45个国家、35种语言的用户。

11月20日，2024年粤剧网信息员培训活动在广州开班。据介绍，网站点击量已超过1.3亿次，成为全球颇具影响力的粤剧专业网站之一。

此外，《白蛇传·情》《谯国夫人》等粤剧电影的推出，也大大拓展了粤剧的传播途径。

文丨黄宙辉 李满 郭君彦
翻译丨赵凡
审校丨邹晓华