Young Audiences’ Perspectives on Traditional Opera Engagement: A Comparative Study of Infrastructural Conditions in China and Italy

China and Italy both possess rich operatic traditions, yet both encounter challenges in sustaining engagement among younger generations. This study investigates how infrastructural conditions influencing young audiences’ willingness to experience with traditional opera through a comparative study of two cultural contexts. Drawing on focus group interviews with participants across both countries, the research examines three interrelated theoretical dimensions: accessibility, experience, and mediation. Through systematic qualitative content analysis, the results indicate that while both Chinese and Italian participants recognized opera as a culturally significant art form, their participation modes differed. In China, attendance was often perceived as a planned and formal activity tied to modern cultural districts, with a strong reliance on media support to reduce entry barriers. In Italy, opera was described as embedded in historical urban environments and social routines, prioritizing the preservation of live performance integrity, maintained through continuity and familiarity. Such findings define opera engagement as a process shaped by interwoven access, experiential, and mediating infrastructures. Overall, this research identifies the needs of young opera audiences in both countries and offers cross-national perspectives for theatrical institutions, aiming to enhance operations and global communication of traditional opera.