As a form of dramatic and musical theater, the Cantonese Opera was inscribed as valuable world heritage to be preserved by the United Nations in 2009. It was first performed during the reign of the Ming Dynasti Jiajing Emperor (1521 - 1567) and known as one of the 256 recognized Chinese opera genres with the combination of dialogue, singing, music, acting, colorful make-up and costumes.
Since World War II, the Cantonese Opera had not been well-preserved due to wars and political instability in China and HongKong, the two main areas where the opera originated. Despite its popularity and long history, Cantonese Opera is slowly vanishing. Modernity & industrialization affected the development of Cantonese Opera. It become less popular among the new generation and the audience is getting less.