After the Second World War, Cantonese opera continued to develop in Hong Kong in a two-pronged direction. It not only thrived on the theatre stage but also reached out to a larger audience through the silver screen.

The 1950s and 1960s were the heyday of Cantonese opera in Hong Kong. There were many troupes actively performing, and there were many stars with huge followings. A guild to protect the interests and welfare of local practitioners in the field, the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong (or “Pak Wo” for short), was founded in 1953. Since then and up to this day, it has become an important driving force behind the development of the genre in Hong Kong.

The genre went on a decline between the late 1960s and early 1970s, and did not pick up until about a decade later.

In 2006, the Governments of Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong Province successfully applied to the State Ministry of Culture for the inclusion of Cantonese opera into the first national list of intangible cultural heritage. In 2009, the application submitted through the Central Government to the UNESCO for the inscription of Cantonese opera on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was successfully approved, making Cantonese opera the first item of the world intangible cultural heritage in the three regions. It was an affirmation of its importance as an art form. Through the joint efforts of the Government and the community, Cantonese opera is now entering a new stage of popular development.