Shanglin Nuo Opera

Shanglin Nuo Opera, also known as Baixu Nuo Opera, is a traditional opera popular around Baixu Town, Shanglin County. Performances were already held as early as the Ming Dynasty, giving it a long history.

It originated from the ancient northern Nuo Opera. During large-scale southward migrations in history, some northern settlers made their homes in Shanglin and brought Nuo Opera to the Baixu area. The opera gradually blended with local religious rituals and sacrificial ceremonies, and finally evolved into today’s Shanglin Nuo Opera.

Performances of Shanglin Nuo Opera must abide by a complete set of traditional rules. A sacrificial ceremony is held before every show. Actors wear masks, carry pennants on their backs, and hold weapons such as swords and spears. The accompaniment includes gongs, drums, cymbals, erhu and flutes. The stage is built simply by driving wooden stakes into the ground and tying ropes, with three sides enclosed by three or four bamboo mats. Most performances are based on historical tales and folk legends.

Shanglin Nuo Opera boasts distinctive characteristics: exclusive hall names, strict apprenticeship systems, rigid disciplinary codes, a unique system for the master’s wife, special performance masks and simple open-air stages. Its varied and lively plays are deeply rooted among ordinary people and daily life.

It is the most important folk custom in Baixu and neighbouring areas. Troupes are invited to perform at temple fairs, dragon pacifying rituals at village altars, and rural funerals. It has become an indispensable part of local festive events.

Nowadays, Shanglin Nuo Opera is on the verge of extinction. The Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Film and Television together with the Cultural Centre of Shanglin County have launched a conservation project for this intangible cultural heritage, and formulated a series of plans to carry forward and preserve the opera