A Study on the Inheritance and Innovation of Guangdong Han Opera: A Case Study of Xianhua Li as a Representative Inheritor

The Guangdong Han Opera is an important component of Lingnan culture. The Dan role, with its unique performance style and profound cultural connotations, holds significant value for inheritance and innovation. This study focuses on the artistic practices of Li Xianhua, a representative inheritor of the Dan role in Guangdong Han Opera. By examining her fifty-year artistic career, the study analyzes her outstanding contributions to the inheritance, performance innovation, and mentorship in the Guangdong Han Opera. Employing a combination of case studies and literature research, the study emphasizes Li Xianhua’s practices in vocal design, performance style, and repertoire innovation, revealing the multiple inheritance pathways of Guangdong Han Opera since the 1970s. The research findings indicate that Li Xianhua has promoted the innovative development of Guangdong Han Opera by integrating traditional techniques with modern artistic elements, gradually attracting the attention of younger audiences. Simultaneously, she has established a systematic succession mechanism in cultivating young actors, providing crucial support for the sustained development of the Guangdong Han Opera. The study also discovers that the application of digital technology and the deepening of international cultural exchanges have opened up new spaces for the dissemination and promotion of the Guangdong Han Opera. The innovation of this research lies in systematically analyzing Li Xianhua’s artistic practices and cultural contributions from an individual perspective, unveiling the vitality of Guangdong Han Opera in the contemporary cultural context and its implications for the inheritance of Chinese traditional culture. This provides an important reference for the protection and innovation of intangible cultural heritage and offers theoretical support and practical pathways for the sustainable development of Guangdong Han Opera.