This study theorises that cultural self-contempt and negative media influences have contributed to the decline of the Huadeng opera. It also finds that these negative influences might be overcome through the use of modern communication and technology.

Given the rapid development of Chinese society, the growth of technology may also be beneficial for the country’s struggling cultural heritage. Those who desire to protect traditional art forms can now access more financial and technological support. The WeChat social-media platform shows a positive side of technology that can be employed to help revtitalize traditional culture.

In the new millenium, knowledge of Huadeng opera is based more on oral communication and participation than it was in the past. Thus, while it is undeniable that Huadeng opera is losing popularity at the moment with the cultural change in the tastes of the younger generation, the employment of the internet to spread information, digitising and archiving will be useful in protecting and saving, or at least slowing down, the speed of decline of Huadeng opera. The WeChat official account is just the beginning of the use of social media to promote Huadeng opera. For the future development of Huadeng opera, the relevant institutions need to pay more attention to this traditional art form.

The historical value and importance of Huadeng opera is clearly evident in the literature, and it remains very popular among senior citizens, representing good memories from when they were young. That generation built the country we live in today, and protecting their interests as well as inheritance is an important focus of senior welfare protection, and a focus of this study. Hopefully, the younger generation will also realise the value of Huadeng opera and keep it alive in the future with the support of lively, informative communication technology such as WeChat.

In this research, I have applied an ethnographic case study, and observations and reviews of the relevant literature to help me better understand the Huadeng opera. Interviews, photography and video footage were also combined in a video I produced to more effectively explore and analyse the subject matter, and to detail the history and influence of Huadeng opera.