Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.80> Article
Research Article

Dilemmas and Breakthroughs in the New Media Context: On the "Waithood" of Young Peking Opera Practitioners

Qiushi YuNanjing Foreign Language School*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

In an era when traditional arts are no longer in their golden age, Peking Opera faces significant developmental challenges. Practitioners, especially young artists who have yet to establish their reputations, encounter multiple difficulties in gaining a foothold in the industry. Therefore, this paper employs the concept of waithood and considers Peking Opera’s unique characteristics to analyze three main challenges faced by young practitioners: the closed nature of Peking Opera skills makes career transition difficult; traditionalist mindsets and high linguistic barriers reduce its modern appeal; and the long training period coupled with low returns exacerbates career uncertainty. On this basis, the paper explores how new media may offer potential solutions. It concludes that new media alleviates the waithood of young Peking Opera practitioners through three pathways: "knowledge generalization" (short videos, online teaching), "audience expansion" (interactive recreations, cross-art integration), and "efficiency improvement" (instant feedback, cloud rehearsals). This provides a model for integrating traditional art with modern communication. Future efforts should further explore common strategies for the revitalization of other traditional arts.

Keywords: dilemmas of young Peking Opera practitioners; waithood theory; new media context; transformation of traditional art; participatory culture
Published: October 2, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.KM27555
Volume: CHR Vol.80
pp. 6-12
Download PDF

References

  1. Dhillon, N. (2008, May 22). Middle East Youth Bulge: Challenge or Opportunity? - Brookings Institution. Archive.org.
  2. Middle East Youth Initiative. (2008, August 20). Middle East Youth Initiative: About: Why Shabab?: Understanding Waithood. Archive.org.
  3. Beijing Opera & Arts College. (2020). Higher Vocational Education Quality Annual Report (2020), Beijing Opera & Arts College (p. 7).
  4. Sun, P. (2016). From “Elevation from Vulgarity to Elegance” to “Appealing to Both Refined and Popular Tastes” — A Study on Peking Opera’s Living Space During Its Golden Age in the Qing Court. The Palace Museum Journal, No. 6, 2016(188), 66–76
  5. Zhang, Y. (2023). The Dilemma and Countermeasures of the Industrialization Development of Chinese Folk Art Forms in the New Era. Journalism and Communications, 11(02), 312–316.
  6. Nung, C. C. (2014). A Case Study on an Example of an Amateur Became a Professional Performer —Chen, Yuan-Zheng, The Role of Jin in Chinese Opera (pp. 52–60).
  7. Yu, H. (2015, January 15). The Dilemma of Chinese Opera: A Socio-Cultural Analysis. Core.ac.uk; China Academic Journal Electronic Publishing House.
  8. Lin, X. (2009). Exploration of the Contemporary Significance of “Main Melody Opera.”
  9. Ni, H. (2022). New Ideas for Inheriting Traditional Opera Arts in the New Media Era—Taking the Cantonese Opera Film The Tale of the White Serpent-Passions for Example. Journal of Xinyang Normal University, 42(5), 100–105.
  10. Gao, Y., Xue, T., & Shi, X. (n.d.). Study on the survival dilemma and development strategy of Beijing opera costume industry.
  11. Thompson, K. (2018, December 13). Main characteristics of New Media. ReviseSociology.
  12. Zhao, Y. (2025, February 16). Study on the Emotional Communication Strategies of Peking Opera-themed Douyin Short Videos from the Perspective of Interactive Ritual Chain Theory. Kns.cnki.net.