Traditional opera and young people: Cantonese opera as personal development

Cantonese opera, one of the regional opera forms in China, flourishes mainly in the southern province of Guangdong. By exploring the culture of Cantonese operatic singing, this study explores the role of traditional music in the lives of young people. Ethnography was chosen as the method of data collection and to describe the findings of the study. The rituals and core values of Cantonese operatic singing lessons were identified. The findings showed that musical tastes not only have sociability and performative components, they also have physical components. Young people construct the rituals of learning Cantonese opera as an important context for their personal development.