It is unique in Chinese opera in that virtually all dramas in its repertoire today are set in the modern era (20th and 21st centuries).

[3] Huju is accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments, including dizi (transverse bamboo flute), erhu (two-stringed fiddle), pipa (pear-shaped lute), yangqin (hammered dulcimer), and percussion.

Influenced by Huaguxi and other forms of drama during the reign of the Guangxu emperor of Qing dynasty, these folksongs developed into Tanhuang [cmn] (滩簧).

In order to distinguish them from Sutan and Nibo Tanhuang, Shanghainese people called them "bentan" (本滩) or "shentan" (申滩).

In 1914, Wenbin shao (邵文滨), Lanting Shi (施兰亭), and Shaolan Ding (丁少兰) organized "zhenxinji" to improve bentan.

It adopted divisions of acts and recognized the role of the playwright and director at a much earlier time than other similar art forms.

Performances of Huju are decreasing,[7] and few young actors take up this art form when television and film have more popularity and influence.