Nuo opera
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Nuo opera or Nuo drama (
Nuo opera is a direct and important expressive medium of Nuo culture.[citation needed] Other forms of representation of the Nuo culture include Nuo dance (傩舞/儺舞), Nuo song (傩歌/儺歌), Nuo sacrifice (傩祭) and Nuo ceremony (傩仪/儺儀) and others. The unique symbol of Nuo opera, the masks, are considered a treasure of Chinese folk art.[1]
There is a considerable repertoire in Nuo opera and this varies from area to area. Nuo operas are usually based on well-known Chinese historical events or folk stories such as
During the
Etymology
Nuo means an oath, binding utterance, or exorcism in Chinese religious culture. The Chinese character for "nuo" is "傩" in simplified Chinese or "儺" in traditional Chinese. This is a very uncommon character in modern Chinese. The meaning of the character "Nuo" is a patterned step to drive away the devil during the last month of the Chinese lunar new year.[2] The Chinese character for "opera" is "戏" in simplified Chinese or "戲" in traditional Chinese.
History
The Nuo opera is a kind of folk dramatic art that originated from folk religion.
Origin
The primitive form, dating back to antiquity, of Nuo opera is Nuoji (simplified: 傩祭; traditional: 儺祭), which is a special sacrificial ceremony. "Ji" means sacrifice or sacrificial activities and events. While performing religious rites, people pray to ward off disasters and receive good luck. So, Nuoji was formed as a sacrificial activity or ceremony to worship gods and ancestors.[
In the Zhou dynasty, Nuoji was already very popular within the central parts of its territory. Nuoji was performed during festivals and holidays at that time with the purpose of driving away devils and plague. Nuoji was a very important social, political, and religious event and a specific government department was established to be in charge of Nuoji.[citation needed] At the time, besides the grand Nuo ceremony held by the royal court, the folk Nuo ceremony also appeared in the countryside.[5]
Development
During and after the Tang dynasty (618-907), Nuoji gradually developed into a dance drama and became more of a recreation than a ritual. [citation needed] It became a masked drama enacted by a priest performing an exorcism, and has been described as "theater with a presentational aspect, a festival, and the idea of gatherings to establish ties and norms."[citation needed] The rituals have been incorporated into people's lives and are seen as commentaries on Chinese life.[5]
Around the Song dynasty (960–1279), people started to perform with masks during Nuoji; thus Nuo opera was basically formed. During the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Nuo opera, which had separated from Nuoji, had become a unique performing art. During the 1930s and 1940s, Nuo opera began to be performed in busy cities and towns.[1]
Today, the popularity of Nuo opera has declined and it can normally only be seen during the
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China
After the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, the influence and popularity of Nuo opera was suppressed by the Chinese government, because the superstitious elements in Nuo opera were contrary to the
Recently (probably after the year 2000), scholars from both China and abroad started becoming interested in nuo opera again because of its precious historical value. [
Varieties
Nuo opera varies greatly from place to place because local culture and customs have a great influence on the form, masks, costumes and conventions of Nuo opera. Generally, Nuo opera can be categorized as follows: Guizhou, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Yunnan [citation needed].
Guizhou Nuo
Guizhou is the center of Nuo drama in southwestern China due to its long Nuo opera history and abundant repertoire. In Anshun, a city in Guizhou, nuo opera is the primary entertainment activity [citation needed]. Musical instruments include one gong and one drum. The drummer has a very important role during a performance. A patch of land serves as a stage. As a result, Guizhou Nuo is also called Dixi (ground opera).
The only two occasions for the performance of Nuo opera are at the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) and at the middle of the 7th lunar month, the time of the rice harvest. People hope the Nuo opera can drive away bad luck and bring a good harvest. [citation needed] Year after year, numerous locals are attracted to this performance. Sometimes a drama can last a dozen days. As is true in most other areas, Nuo Drama in Tunbu is the performed by the men. The moment a dancer puts on his mask, he will not speak or act casually since putting on a mask means the spirit is on him already.[2]
Jiangxi Nuo
Nuo dancing, one of the most ancient arts and a necessary element in Nuo opera, has existed in
Anhui Nuo
Anhui (安徽) Nuo is special because it is performed on a clan basis and not by a troupe as in other places. Chizhou Nuo is the best known Nuo opera of Anhui Nuo.[citation needed] The origins of Nuo culture in Chizhou areas is one of the most ancient and can be traced back over thousands of years to the neolithic period. [citation needed] It has been recently included in the Nation's First Catalogue of Intangible Cultural Heritage.[citation needed] Chizhou Nuo Opera is divided into three performing formats: Nuo Ritual. Nuo Dancing and Nuo Drama. The complete stage performance must be mixed with dramatic plot, role-playing, type of role, and qiemo (settings, scene and props). The performing skill can only be learned through oral instruction and the personal teachings passed on to disciples in person from generation to generation. Therefore, the performing art of Nuo opera is normally passed on within a clan from generation to generation.[4] There may be two sacrificial ceremonies (in which the Nuo opera are performed as a must) a year: the "spring sacrificial ceremony" that is held sometime between the seventh day to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and the "autumn sacrificial ceremony" that is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. Apart from these two ceremonies, there is no performance at all throughout the year.[citation needed]
The dance, which has a strong local flavor, continues in many villages in
When Chizhou Nuo Opera is performed, it normally has three integrated components: Nuo dancing, main performance, and salutatory &and complimentary remarks. Some of the well-known repertoire of Chizhou Nuo are "Liu Wenlong", "Meng Jiangnü", "Fan Silking" and "Zhang Wenxian" etc.[4]
Yunnan Nuo
Leopard Nuo opera in Chuxiong City, Yunnan, differentiates itself by the fact that all dancers are painted with a leopard pattern on their nude bodies. The ferocious and agile leopard is regarded as the most qualified to drive away devils.[citation needed] Leopards are played by twelve Yi boys about 10 years old. On the morning of the performance, young dancers will have the leopard pattern painted on their backs, hands, feet, and belly in black, white, red, and yellow colors. A yue-kin, a four-stringed plucked instrument with a full-moon-shaped sound box, is painted on their chests. Their faces are covered with palm leaves, and their heads are decorated with two pheasant tails. When the make-up is finished, dancers enter the role of leopards, prohibiting further talking.[2]
Village rooftops connected by ladders or wood panels form the stage for the "leopards." At the climax of the dance, leopards run after young girls watching the show until the girls take them home, where snacks have been prepared. Leopards eat some snacks as well as throwing some away, while continuing to dance. This devil-dispelling activity is performed in the rooms, kitchens and stalls of one family after another; the leopards dispel devils for all the villagers.[2]
In the film Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles directed by Zhang Yimou, Yunnan Nuo is prominently depicted and featured.
Masks
The most distinctive feature of Nuo opera is that the performers wear masks. Different roles require different masks to reveal the characters, through their changing facial features and decorations. The masks are highly aesthetic. The art, selected materials, colors and applications of Nuo opera masks vary among the regions, ethnic groups, culture and aesthetic interests. That distinctiveness adds the masks' beauty.[citation needed] The masks are mainly made of poplar and willow since poplar is light and less prone to cracks, while willow is widely regarded as having the power to ward off evil.[10] Nuo opera involves many acrobatic performances, such as getting into a hot pot, holding burned stones, crossing a fiery pit, swallowing and blowing fire, and stepping on a mountain of swords. As most of the performers are specially trained, they are good at giving exciting performances.[11]
The number of masks used in one drama ranges from several dozen to two hundred. [citation needed] There are five kinds of masks used in Nuo Drama, namely: civilian general, military general, old general, young general and woman general with other minor roles such as soldiers and Taoist monks.[2] Each nuo mask has a fixed name, represents a certain role and has legendary stories to tell of its origins. In Guizhou, a province with the largest nuo drama repertoire, at least 24 masks are required to perform an entire nuo drama piece. [citation needed] The masks can appear valiant and martial, stern and tough, or gentle and kind, and they come in various styles to represent different figures. For instance, since the responsibility of valiant gods is to emit awe and dispel ghosts and devils, their masks usually have horns and buckteeth, with a very ferocious countenance.[10]
The masks are endowed with mysterious religious and cultural meanings, both in Nuoji and Nuo opera performances. People in Nuo culture circles, who regard the masks as symbols and carriers of gods, observe various rules and conventions. For instance, the ceremony of enshrining a Buddha statue is held before making the masks; before using them, the ceremony of opening the case; and storing them, the ceremony of sealing the case. According to the rules, women are not allowed to touch or wear the masks, and only men can produce, use and store masks. Once a man wears a mask, he is supposed to be possessed by a god or spirit. And therefore, he must not speak.[11]
Studies also show that the face painting of
See also
- Fangxiangshi
- Nuoism
- Noh
- Cham dance
References
- ^ a b c Zhang, Tianlin 张天林: Nuoxi: mysterious Chinese Opera and Its Masks (神秘的傩文化——傩戏与傩面具). Page 49, Women in China (01/2007)
- ^ a b c d e f "Nuo Drama of China: History, Mask, Region". Travelchinaguide.com. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
- ^ Wu Jingxia 吴靖霞: Dramatic Art as Cultural-historical Sediment---The Origin, Development, and Artistic Substance of the Nuo Opera (历史文化的积淀——从傩戏的起源和发展探傩戏的本质). Page 93, No.5, 2006, Guizhou Ethnic Studies (贵州民族研究)
- ^ a b c d Welcome to Anhui!
- ^ a b c "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Lan Li. The Changing Role of the Popular Religion of Nuo (傩) in Modern Chinese Politics. Modern Asian Studies (Impact Factor: 0.36). 01/2010; 44(02):1-23. DOI:10.1017/S0026749X10000090
- ^ Bai Mu 白木: Historical Nuo culture in China (我国历史悠远的傩文化). Page 52, No. 8, 2006, Wenshichunqiu (文史春秋)
- ^ a b "FourP - Startseite".
- ^ "The collection of Chinese National and folk dancing from Jiangxi"
- ^ a b Nuo Culture – Legacy of Chinese Ancient Drama
- ^ a b Zhang, Tianlin 张天林: Nuoxi: mysterious Chinese Opera and Its Masks (神秘的傩文化——傩戏与傩面具). Page 50, Women in China (01/2007)
Min Tian, "Chinese Nuo and Japanese Noh: Nuo's Role in the Origination and Formation of Noh," Comparative Drama, Vol. 37, No. 3/4 (Fall/Winter 2003–04), pp. 343–360.
External links
- 中国傩文化网
- 中国傩文化-中国网
- "NUO, the Devils Hunters" Documentary 18' by Eric Boudot