Cantonese opera is one type of Chinese traditional theatre, with singing and spoken lines delivered in the Cantonese dialect. It is popularly found in the Cantonese-speaking regions, which include mainly Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macao.

In each opera production, the story is told through the "four basic skills" of singing, acting, delivery of spoken lines and martial arts, enhanced by stage makeup, costumes, props and the percussive beats on gongs and drums. The presentation format is a fine mixture of literature, drama, ballad singing, dance and martial arts. The singing style, role types, makeup, stylised movements, libretti and singing scores are all rich in artistic value. Aside from being a form of performing art for public entertainment, Cantonese opera can serve as religious drama presented as part of the ritual of thanksgiving to the deities, or for occasions of jiao festivals. It is therefore highly praised for its social and cultural values. Cantonese opera was inscribed onto the first national list of ICH in 2006, and the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

There is debate about the origins of Cantonese opera, but it is generally accepted that opera was brought from the northern part of China and slowly migrated to the southern province of Guangdong in the late 13th century, during the late Southern Song dynasty. In the 12th century, there was a theatrical form called the Nanxi or "Southern drama", which was performed in public theatres of Hangzhou, then capital of the Southern Song. With the invasion of the Mongol army, Emperor Gong of the Song dynasty fled with hundreds of thousands of Song people into Guangdong in 1276. Among them were Nanxi performers from Zhejiang, who brought Nanxi into Guangdong and helped develop the opera traditions in the south.

Many well-known operas performed today, such as Tai Nui Fa originated in the Ming Dynasty and The Purple Hairpin originated in the Yuan Dynasty, with lyrics and scripts in Cantonese. Until the 20th century all the female roles were performed by males.