The Nuo Drama in China
2 min readThe History of Nuo Drama
The Chinese character Nuo originally meant a patterned step to drive away evil during the last month of the Chinese lunar year.Later，Nuo evolved into a dance.Nuo has a long history；historical records disagree on when the practice first appeared.
Some hold that Nuo started by the order of Zhuan Xiang，the grandson of Huang Di，while others hold that it began during the Zhou Dynasty.Despite the 1000 years’difference，the purpose of Nuo was to drive away devils，disease and evilinfluences，and to petition for blessings from the gods.At this time，Nuo was a sacrificial activity.
It was probably during the Song Dynasty that Nuo became a drama.Nuo Drama is the most direct and important expressive media of Nuo culture.It covers primitive religion，folklore and art，and integrates literature，music，dance，drama，painting，calligraphy，sculpture，and paper-cut.Nuo Drama has great artistic value and is called the living fossil of drama.
Mask of Nuo Drama
Masks carved out of quality camphor or willow wood are the soul of Nuo Drama.
These two kinds of wood are durable and easy to carve.Furthermore，folklore holds that they contain spirits.A mask also has religious implications；as the symbol and medium of a spirit，masks are governed by strict rules.People believe that after performance of a certain ceremony upon its completion，a mask becomes a living god.
Women are not allowed to touch a mask，much less put one on.
