Preserving heritage

Mask makers keep traditional faces of Nuo Opera alive in modern era

Nuo Opera is a traditional drama popular in Xiangdong district of Pingxiang, Jiangxi province, which originates from ancient sacrificial ceremonies. In those days, performing Nuo Opera was thought to drive away plague and other epidemic diseases. Nowadays, it is a custom for local people to perform the opera during traditional festivals to pray for good luck.

The craft of creating masks that performers wear for the opera, which dates back more than 1,000 years, was recognized as national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

Nuo Opera mask carving is classified into two categories in Xiangdong — the school of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the school of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Chen Quanfu is an inheritor of the Nuo Opera mask carving skills from the Tang Dynasty school in Xiangdong. He said, “The two schools share one thing in common, that they both emphasize innovation and meticulousness.”

He added that what should be passed down to future generations is not only the mask-making procedure, but also the craftsmanship that features professional ethics and a meticulous spirit that ensures the constant improvement of the craft over the long term.

Chen first started to learn the craft from his father in his childhood, and has mastered the skills of carving masks for more than 400 figures.

Peng Guolong, an inheritor of the Song Dynasty mask carving school in Xiangdong, is skilled at innovating traditional masks’ design.

“I like adding some characteristics or details to the figures’ looks to make them more lively,” he said.

Chen and Peng pass the skills on to their disciples, some of whom work in Guangdong and Fujian provinces as professional mask carvers.

PHOTOS BY PENG ZHAOZHI / XINHUA A multiple exposure of Peng Guolong with masks he has made using the Song Dynasty carving method in Pingxiang, Jiangxi province, on Dec 28.

Chen reads manuals on mask making, which have been handed down from past generations of his family, at home in Pingxiang on Dec 28.

Pupils rehearse Nuo Opera scenes at Mashan Primary School in Pingxiang on Dec 29.

Chen carries two masks he has just finished to a local school in Pingxiang on Dec 28.

Peng carves a mask in the Song Dynasty style in Pingxiang on Dec 28.

Pupils rehearse a Nuo Opera play at Mashan Primary School.