Nuo Opera and its inheritor Long Jingchang
2022-07-22
The performers would wear painted masks carved out of durable wood, which can be divided into the whole masks showing the hat as well as face of the character and the half masks beyond mouth and chin. By virtue of masks, figures such as civil servants, military generals, old men, young women and gods are interpreted in a primitive and rough style.
Different historical backgrounds have produced three variations of Nuo Opera. Among them, Dixi is a martial arts drama that reflects historical stories to worship ancestors, while Yangxi based on the folk life serves to entertain living people, with tunes mostly absorbed from the folk operas.
As a complex of history, folk customs, folk religion and primitive dramas, Nuo Opera boasts rich cultural genes and high research value.
Long Jingchang, born in 1947, is a representative inheritor of Nuo Opera of the Dong people, a national intangible cultural heritage item. The man from the Dong ethnic group started to learn Nuo Opera from senior artist Long Ziming in 1989.
He has mastered the basic skills and performing arts of Nuo Opera, and is able to perform all kinds of characters and play multiple roles in one play with fluent lines, beautiful singing and perfect dance.
