Pingxiang Xiangdong Nuo mask

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Pingxiang Xiangdong Nuo mask

Applicant: Pingxiang City, Jiangxi Province

Item No.: 344

Project No.: Ⅶ - 45

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Jiangxi Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Pingxiang City, Jiangxi Province

Protection unit: Pingxiang Xiangdong District Cultural Center (Pingxiang Xiangdong District intangible cultural heritage research and Protection Center)

Brief introduction of Pingxiang Xiangdong Nuo mask:

Applicant: Pingxiang City, Jiangxi Province

Xiangdong Nuo mask is an excellent traditional folk sculpture with a long history. Xiangdong is governed by Pingxiang, the "Jiangnan coal capital", which is the west gate of Jiangxi. According to the official Lai Mingde, the carving techniques of Nuo masks in eastern Hunan can be divided into Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty. The carving techniques in Tang Dynasty are rough, while those in Song Dynasty are fine. The existing techniques of Nuo mask carving in eastern Hunan were introduced from Hunan in the Qing Dynasty and spread to three generations in eastern Hunan, mainly in the Song Dynasty. The masks carved with this technique are simple and exquisite in style and exquisite in craftsmanship. At present, the inheritors are able to carve 440 complete human Nuo masks in Song Dynasty.

There are many kinds of Nuo masks in eastern Hunan, and more than ten procedures are needed from raw material processing to finished products. The mask's expression and crown decoration have a specific cultural connotation and significance. The carving technology is exquisite, the mask's expression is simple, the technique is exaggerated, and it has obvious regional style. Due to the difficulty and time-consuming of hand carved Nuo masks, most young people are reluctant to learn, so there is no one to follow. At present, modern mechanized production mode is entering the production industry of Nuo mask, which promotes the further marketization of Nuo mask in eastern Hunan, resulting in the disappearance of many unique handicrafts. In addition, most of the traditional paintings of Nuo face were destroyed in all kinds of historical turmoil. Now there is only one complete painting of Nuo face. Because of the long time, the damage is also very serious. From the above situation, it can be seen that the carving technique of Nuo mask in eastern Hunan is in an endangered state, which is in urgent need of rescue and protection.