Nuo Opera, arising from the sacrificing activities in primitive society, took form in Nuo Dance in the Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C.-1046 B.C.). In the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), Nuo Opera came into being as a regional opera on the basis of Nuo Dance. The main feature of Nuo Opera is that every character wears wooden masks and the stories are mainly about ghosts and gods. It was popular in several provinces, such as Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan, where it mixes with the local culture and took on its own style in each. Nuo Opera is a mixture of history, folk custom and primitive opera. With a wider variety of entertaining options available in modern society, Nuo Opera has been hard pressed to cross generation barriers. |