Nuo opera masks have been a part of Chinese culture for over three thousand years since Shang Dynasty (16-17th century BCE.) The original purpose of Nuo ceremonies was to drive away evil influences and to petition for blessings from the gods. Singing and dancing were included and the performers wore costumes and masks, but over the years it gradually evolved into more of an entertainment than spiritual ritual.

Performers wear masks to portray the different characters in each opera. The number of masks used in one performance ranges from several dozen to two hundred. Mostly they represent the important gods, ferocious guardian deities, good fortune deities, folk deities (civil officials and military generals,) demons, animals, and clowns. Most are made of wood and painted with naturally made colors, Chinese ink, and gold or silver foil.

Old cultures are disappearing as China modernizes.

Though the opera's popularity has waned in China, it still is performed in areas south of the Yangzi river in Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi, and Yunnan Provinces. After the People's Republic was established in 1949, the Nuo opera was suppressed by the government for philosophical and political reasons.

We found a source for masks in Guangxi.

Many old masks were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (1966 through 1976,) but some have survived in remote southwestern China, especially in regions inhabited by ethnic minorities such as Tujia, Gelao, Maonan, Miao, Dong and Yao.

With all of the pressures of a growing industrial society, Nuo artifacts are becoming scarce. Also a factor are the growing number of museums and collectors, both in the West and in the PR itself, who are buying Nuo art. We consider ourselves fortunate to have discovered a source in southwest China that has been able to supply us, despite these obstacles.

RAI