Nuo Opera
01 · Historical Records
Nuo opera originated in remote antiquity; as early as the pre-Qin period there were shaman songs and nuo dances that entertained both gods and people. In the Kangxi reign of the Qing nuo opera appeared in western Hunan and at once, entering the Yangtze by the Yuan river, spread rapidly, blending with local folk art to form many schools and styles—the nuotang opera of Hunan and Hubei (mainly around Hefeng and Enshi), for instance, formed by absorbing the performing techniques of huagu opera. By 1940 Wanzai county had seventeen nuo teams and nine nuo temples, the earliest, the Shajiang bridge nuo temple of Tanbu town, founded in the early Ming. Drawing on local materials, nuo opera was already current in western Jiangxi by the Ming, and Wanzai nuo circulated under the name “jumping the xiao”; by 1940 the county had seventeen teams and nine temples.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Nuo opera, also called “nuotang opera” and “duangong opera”, is a local operatic form developed by absorbing operatic elements on the basis of folk sacrificial rites, widely popular in Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Shaanxi and Hebei. In the late Ming and early Qing, as local operas flourished, nuo dance absorbed operatic elements and became nuotang and duangong opera. Wanzai nuo opera, also called “jumping the xiao”, circulates in the countryside of Wanzai county, Jiangxi, and neighbouring counties. Through the whole rite the local people worship “General Ouyang Huang of Yang-Wu” of the late Tang and Five Dynasties as the presiding deity of the nuo altar. Wanzai nuo opera divides into “open-mouth nuo” and “closed-mouth nuo”; the open-mouth nuo has seven performing pieces including Guan Wang Xia Jian, Kai Shan and Guan Bao Da Zhan, with a division of roles into sheng, dan, jing and chou, its movements archaic and rough and its singing, recitation, acting and martial skills complete. Wanzai nuo opera, also called “jumping the xiao”, circulates in the Wanzai county countryside and neighbouring counties, its troupes organised by altar, its masks carved and painted by local artists, preserving the modelling tradition of western Jiangxi folk carving and painting.
Guan Wang Xia Jian (Lord Guan Delivers the Writ)
One of the seven performing pieces of Wanzai open-mouth nuo.
Kai Shan (Opening the Mountain)
One of the seven performing pieces of Wanzai open-mouth nuo.
Guan Bao Da Zhan (The Battle of Guan and Bao)
One of the seven performing pieces of Wanzai open-mouth nuo.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
It was born about the late Yuan and early Ming as a local folk activity of driving out ghosts and plague and praying for peace.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Wanzai nuo opera holds an important place in Jiangxi nuo; it is a vehicle of nuo culture and of important reference value for the study of the development of nuo dance and the formation of nuo opera. Together with the nuotang opera of Hunan and Hubei it belongs to the nuo-qiang system while having its own style, performed together with folk shehuo and temple fairs in western Jiangxi, with the Wanzai county cultural centre responsible for the project's protection and transmission. The locality sustains this ancient art through organising nuo teams, temple activities and recording and collation.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Li Zengwang 02-0653
- Liu Chenyu 02-0654
- Yao Jiawei 02-0655
- Long Ziming 02-0656
- Long Kaichun 02-0657
- Li Fuguo 02-0658
- Zhang Yuefu 02-0659
- An Yongbai 02-0660
- Jiang Pinsan 03-1074
- Guixunjin 04-1661
- Su Liwen 04-1662
- Ling Fengying 05-2398
- Tang Maohua 05-2399
- Deng Yushu 05-2400
- Long Jingchang 05-2401
- Nie Mane 05-2402
- Wang Taibao 05-2403
- Yang Chaozhong 05-2404
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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