Nuo Opera
01 · Historical Records
In the Qiande years of the Northern Song (968), the three Pan brothers who came from Bianliang, Kaifeng, the capital, to take office in Jiangzhou brought with them the song-and-dance zaju flower-shed assembly of the capital's pleasure quarters—the De'an Pan-gong opera. De'an Pan-gong opera preserves Tang music, Song zaju and street puppet song-and-dance, being a survival of the Song “flesh puppet”. Drawing on local materials, it was brought to De'an in 968 by the three Pan brothers from Kaifeng, preserving Tang music and Song zaju and street puppet song-and-dance, a survival of the Song flesh puppet.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
From the first to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month each year, the twelve villages of the four great clans Gui, Hu, Li and Tao of Wushan township, De'an county, hold the flower-shed assembly, going out in the day for spring outings and sacrifice and performing and making merry at night. A whole evening's performance takes about two hours with nine items, mainly including rod-top puppets on the shed and masked make-up before the shed. At the start a blue cloth curtain (locally “flower shed”) is hung in the ancestral hall as the performance area. The performers first recite a passage in unison, then perform to the accompaniment of gong, drum and flute. In the puppet performance on the shed, one or two actors respectively prop the rod-top puppet with the left hand and hold its two shoulders in the right, swaying and dancing about within the cloth curtain. In the masked performance below, the actors wear masks and move in and out of the curtain with the plot, wielding swords or turning somersaults on the bar, never speaking, their singing and recitation all supplied from offstage by one called the “canjun”. It has a complete literary script, a primitive performing form, precious puppet models and archaic theatrical masks, and is of important cultural value for understanding the theatrical style of the Song–Jin period and the historical evolution of the origin and development of Chinese xiqu. A song-and-dance zaju brought in the Northern Song, it is called the “flower-shed assembly” for its “flower shed” performance area and locally the “gong-and-drum Lord Pan opera” or “Lord Pan's spring outing”; the De'an county cultural centre is responsible for its protection.
The Nine Items of the Flower-Shed Assembly
A whole evening's performance lasts about two hours with nine items, mainly rod-top puppets on the shed and masked make-up before the shed.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
This song-and-dance zaju is also called by local people “gong-and-drum Lord Pan opera”, or “Lord Pan's spring outing”; the De'an county cultural centre is responsible for the project's protection.
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
Gui Xunjin (as recorded in the official dossier of an associated inheritor): male, Han, born in March 1939 in De'an county, Jiangxi. Benefiting from his elders' oral teaching and personal example, he is familiar with the whole performance routine of Pan-gong opera and can take such important roles as the canjun, the figures on the shed and the figures below it. In 1984 he organised the revival of Pan-gong opera performance and in 1987 took part in the national nuo opera academic symposium; in 1990 the text, photographs and material he supplied were included in the De'an County Gazetteer. In 1994 he led the revival of the “Lord Pan spring outing” folk activity, afterwards organising, directing and teaching the spring outing and play every year. In 2007 he directed the compilation and publication of the book The Legend of Lord Pan, and in 2009 initiated the founding of the De'an county “Lord Pan” folk performing team and trained five performing classes, enabling this ancient art to be better transmitted and developed. He is a representative inheritor of nuo opera (De'an Pan-gong opera) in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects.
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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