Author(s)

Xinyi Li ¹, Jufen Huang ²

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Literature, Yuxi Normal University, Yuxi, 653100, Yunnan, China
² School of Foreign Languages, Yuxi Normal University, Yuxi, 653100, Yunnan, China

Corresponding Author

Xinyi Li

ABSTRACT

Intangible cultural heritage opera projects are characterized by multimodal features in which texts, vocal styles, movements, costumes, stages, rituals, and local life experiences are interwoven. Traditional approaches to intangible cultural heritage preservation have largely relied on textual documentation, video recording, repertoire organization, and the cultivation of inheritors. However, in the context of digital and intelligent communication, static archives and offline performances alone can no longer meet the needs of living transmission, youth-oriented communication, and knowledge reproduction of intangible cultural heritage opera. As a representative project included in the first batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list, Yuxi Huadeng Opera is characterized by its origin in folk Huadeng song-and-dance, integrated singing and dancing, distinctive dialectal vocal style, prominent dance movements, and lively clown-role performance. At the same time, it faces practical difficulties such as the decline of theatrical performances, a shortage of professional talent, scattered archival resources, alienation from young audiences, and a relatively limited mode of communication. Taking Yuxi Huadeng Opera as the research object, this paper adopts literature analysis and case study methods based on theories of intangible cultural heritage preservation, digital heritage, and multimodal artificial intelligence, and explores the functional mechanism of multimodal AI in the digital preservation and innovative communication of intangible cultural heritage opera. The study argues that multimodal AI can empower Yuxi Huadeng Opera through five stages: resource collection, knowledge modeling, intelligent analysis, assisted creation, and communication feedback. It can promote the transformation of Yuxi Huadeng Opera from static preservation to intelligent protection, from one-way display to interactive communication, and from experience-based transmission to data-supported living inheritance. Nevertheless, technological intervention must adhere to the principles of authenticity, integrity, and locality, avoiding the risks of algorithmically generated content obscuring the essence of opera, digital spectacles replacing artistic core, and traffic-oriented logic weakening cultural depth. This paper proposes practical paths such as building a multimodal database for Yuxi Huadeng Opera, constructing vocal and dialectal acoustic models, establishing movement and posture archives, developing an AI-assisted script adaptation platform, and forming a youth-oriented communication matrix. The study aims to provide reference for the digital preservation and innovative communication of local opera-type intangible cultural heritage projects.

KEYWORDS

Multimodal AI; Intangible cultural heritage; Yuxi Huadeng Opera; Digital preservation; Innovative communication; AIGC

CITE THIS PAPER

Xinyi Li, Jufen Huang. Research on Multimodal AI-Empowered Digital Preservation and Innovative Communication of Intangible Cultural Heritage Opera: A Case Study of Yuxi Huadeng Opera. Journal of Sociology and Ethnology (2026). Vol. 8, No. 2, 50-60. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/jsoce.2026.080208.

REFERENCES

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