Nuo opera

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Nuo opera

Applicant: Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province

Project No.: 233

Project No.: Ⅳ - 89

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: Traditional Drama

Region: Jiangxi Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province

Protection unit: Wanzai County Cultural Center

Introduction to Nuo opera (Wanzai KaiKou Nuo)

Applicant: Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province

Nuo opera, also known as "Nuotang opera" and "Duangong opera", is a form of local opera formed on the basis of folk sacrificial rites, which is widely popular in Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Hebei and other provinces. Nuo opera originated in ancient times. As early as in the pre Qin period, there were witch songs and Nuo dances that entertained both gods and people. At the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, all kinds of local opera flourished. Nuo dance absorbed the artistic factors of opera and developed into Nuotang opera and Duangong opera. During the reign of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, Nuo opera appeared in Western Hunan, and then entered the Yangtze River from the Yuan river. It spread rapidly and merged with folk art in various places, forming a variety of different schools and styles. For example, Nuo opera in Hunan and Hubei (mainly popular in Hefeng and Enshi) was formed by absorbing the performance skills of Huagu opera.

Wanzai Nuo opera, also known as "tiaohong", is popular in the countryside and neighboring counties of Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province. It was born at the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty. It is a folk activity of local people to expel ghosts and diseases and pray for peace. During the whole ceremony, local people regarded "general Ouyang Huang of Yang and Wu" as the main god of Nuo jar. By 1940, there were 17 Nuo teams and 9 Nuo temples in Wanzai county. The earliest Nuo temple in shajiangqiao, Tanbu town was built in the early Ming Dynasty.

Wanzai Nuo opera can be divided into two categories: "open Nuo" and "closed Nuo". There are seven performances of open Nuo, such as Guanwang Xiajian, Kaishan and Guanbao battle. The roles of Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou are divided. The performances are simple and rough, and the singing, reading, doing and playing are complete. Wanzai Nuo opera plays an important role in Jiangxi Nuo. It is the carrier of Nuo culture and has important reference value in the study of the development of Nuo dance and the formation of Nuo opera.