Enhancing the dissemination of Cantonese Opera among youth via Bilibili: a study on intangible cultural heritage transmission

Intangible cultural heritage is an invaluable treasure for all human beings worldwide. In 2009, UNESCO inscribed Chinese Cantonese Opera (Yueju) on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Despite awareness of inheritance, methods to involve more young generations remain needed. This study focuses on Yueju videos on Bilibili, a youth‑oriented video platform. Using quantitative and qualitative research grounded in the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), we explored which Yueju video types have significant spreading effects. We collected 1916 Bilibili videos via Python crawlers and analyzed 17 variables per video. We built a Yueju transmission model with central and peripheral persuasive routes. Methods included regression analysis, multi‑factor ANOVA, and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Thirty‑one experts assessed the importance hierarchy of video factors to derive weights using AHP. Regression demonstrated the central route via the causal relationship between video recognition and spreading effect; multi‑factor ANOVA identified an optimal combination of eight video factors on the peripheral route. Utilizing ELM and hybrid methods, we obtained statistical results and proposed macro‑level and micro‑level strategies for transmitting Yueju culture, particularly to younger audiences.