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 entertaining 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. The earliest written record of nuo opera in Hefeng county, Hubei, appears in the Tianqi reign of the Ming, when Tian Xinfu of the Rongmei tusi wrote in his “Liyang Kouhao” of the prevalence of nuo opera in Hefeng: “Mountain ghosts sing in uneven ranks, every house carries the body-demon. Deep in the night the wuwu horn resounds, all say the neighbour sings the great nuo.”
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. Hefeng nuo troupes are called “altars” and the head “altar master”, an altar having eight to ten members. Apart from these two places, scattered nuo artists are active elsewhere too. Hefeng nuo opera has a complete set of sacrificial rites made up of the stages Fa Gongcao, Baiqi Saotai, Qingshen, Xiuzai, Kaishan, Dalu, Zhazhai, Yingshen, Jiaocha, Kaidong, Xizhu, Chu Tudi, Dianchang, Fachang, Baogua, Shoubing, Saotai, Yaogang, Jijiang, Caobing, Libiao, Gouyuan, Chezhai and Songshen, known as the “twenty-four plays” or “twenty-four altar rites”; a simplified rite still has the eight stages Fa Gongcao, Baiqi Saotai, Zhazhai, Yingshen, Kaishan, Chu Tudi, Jijiang and Libiao Gouyuan, called the “orthodox eight”. Hefeng nuo opera's rites are known as the “twenty-four plays”, made up of Fa Gongcao, Baiqi Saotai, Qingshen, Xiuzai, Kaishan, Dalu, Zhazhai, Yingshen, Jiaocha, Kaidong, Xizhu, Chu Tudi, Dianchang, Fachang, Baogua, Shoubing, Saotai, Yaogang, Jijiang, Caobing, Libiao, Gouyuan, Chezhai and Songshen, while a simplified rite still has the “orthodox eight”.
The Twenty-Four Plays (Twenty-Four Altar Rites)
The complete rite of Hefeng nuo opera is made up of twenty-four stages including Fa Gongcao, Baiqi Saotai, Qingshen, Xiuzai, Kaishan, Dalu, Zhazhai and Yingshen, known as the “twenty-four plays”.
The Orthodox Eight (Simplified Rite)
The simplified rite still has eight stages: Fa Gongcao, Baiqi Saotai, Zhazhai, Yingshen, Kaishan, Chu Tudi, Jijiang and Libiao Gouyuan.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Hefeng nuo opera is performed together with Tujia folk activities of vow fulfilment, averting disaster and birthdays, altar troupes mostly going from village to village in the winter slack, forming a stable performing season.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera · Nuo Opera.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Hefeng County has about twenty-five nuo altars distributed across Zouma, Baiguo, Suoping, Nanbei, Yanghe, Tielu, Majia, Wuli, Taoshan, Liufeng, Qinghu, Xiaping, Beijia, Zhongying and Wuyang townships; the Hefeng county cultural centre (Hefeng County Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Centre) is responsible for the project's protection, and at present Qinghu and Jiangkou villages still have complete altar teams performing all year round.
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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