Nuo Opera
01 · Historical Records
Libao Buyei nuo opera originated in the Song and Yuan; it was taught to the Libao Buyei area by Master Yu, ancestor of the nuo altar of Sien county, Hechi area, Guangxi. Drawing on Buyei cultural materials, it originated in the Song and Yuan and was taught to Libao by Master Yu of Sien county, Hechi, Guangxi; the altar ancestor then recruited and taught disciples there, forming the Buyei's own altar-troupe system, combined with Buyei nature worship and village life and continuing by oral teaching.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Libao Buyei nuo opera is mostly held in the villages, troupes organising performance according to the scale of the “bridge”: the “small bridge” lasts three days with ritual as its main content and no masks, while the “great bridge” lasts seven days or more, at most thirteen, with operatic performance and masks, serving both to avert disaster and seek blessings and to entertain. It divides into civil and martial plays, its items mainly including Chou Shen Huan Yuan, Bai Sanjie Gongye and Ji Shen Shu, more than ten in all; it belongs to the nuo-with-drama type and is called “bridge” among the Buyei, divided into “small bridge” and “great bridge”. The great bridge lasts more than seven days, at most thirteen, with operatic performance and masks; the small bridge lasts three days, without operatic performance or masks. These cultural forms are inseparable from the specific natural environment of the Buyei. It circulates in the Buyei-populated area of Libao, Guizhou, called “bridge” among the Buyei and divided into “small bridge” and “great bridge”, its cultural forms inseparable from the specific natural environment of the Buyei, with the Libao county cultural centre responsible for the project's protection.
Chou Shen Huan Yuan (Thanking the Gods and Fulfilling a Vow)
One of the principal items of Libao Buyei nuo opera.
Bai Sanjie Gongye (Worshipping the Lord of the Three Realms)
One of the principal items of Libao Buyei nuo opera.
Ji Shen Shu (Sacrificing to the Sacred Tree)
One of the principal items of Libao Buyei nuo opera, bound up with Buyei nature worship.
The Great Bridge (A Nuo Rite of Seven Days or More)
The great bridge lasts seven days or more, at most thirteen, with operatic performance and masks.
The Small Bridge (A Three-Day Nuo Rite)
The small bridge lasts three days, without operatic performance or masks.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Libao Buyei nuo opera is popular in the Buyei-populated area of Libao, Guizhou, where the Buyei call it “bridge” and divide it into “small bridge” and “great bridge”; its cultural forms are inseparable from the specific natural environment of the Buyei, with the Libao county cultural centre 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
Nuo opera's transmission does not cling to family lines but recruits and teaches disciples within the ethnic group, regardless of region or surname, transmitting from men and not to women, any married man of the group with children being eligible. Transmission relies mainly on oral teaching and personal example. With social change the transmitters have died one after another and the songbooks, masks, ritual implements and other nuo props have been damaged and lost, leaving Libao nuo cultural activity in an endangered state.
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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