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Nuo opera or Nuo drama () is one of the most popular folk operas in southern China. Characterized by its special features such as ferocious masks, unique dresses and adornments, the strange language used in performance, and mysterious scenes, Nuo opera has been selected as one of the non-material cultural legacies of China. The opera is a religious performance intrinsic to the culture of Nuoism, a type of Chinese folk religion. The purpose of Nuo opera is to drive away devils, disease and evil influences, and also to petition for blessings from the gods. Singing and dancing are included in Nuo opera and performers wear costumes and masks. Nuo opera is a direct and important expressive medium of Nuo culture. Other forms of representation of the Nuo culture include Nuo dance (傩舞/儺舞), Nuo song (傩歌/儺歌), Nuo sacrifice (傩祭) and Nuo ceremony (傩仪/儺儀) and others. The unique symbol of Nuo opera, the masks, are considered a treasure of Chinese folk art.〔Zhang, Tianlin 张天林: ''Nuoxi: mysterious Chinese Opera and Its Masks (神秘的傩文化——傩戏与傩面具)''. Page 49, Women in China (01/2007)〕 There is a considerable repertoire in Nuo opera and this varies from area to area. Nuo operas are usually based on well-known Chinese historical events or folk stories such as ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', ''Journey to the West'', ''Water Margin'' and the story of the Dragon Kings. Some famous repertoires of Nuo opera include ''Lady Mengjiang'', ''Seizing the Yellow Devil'', and ''Story of Mount Liang''. During the Zhou dynasty (11th century-256 BC), this art form was very popular in the Yangtze River, Yellow River and Nenjiang River valleys . However, the opera's popularity waned in those river valley areas. Nowadays, it still remains popular among rural areas in southwest China, such as Guizhou, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is especially popular in the regions inhabited by ethnic minorities such as the Tujia, the Miao, the Dong and Yao.〔 ==Etymology== ''Nuo'' means an oath, binding utterance, or exorcism in Chinese religious culture. The Chinese character for "nuo" is "傩" in simplified Chinese or "儺" in traditional Chinese. This is a very uncommon character in modern Chinese. The meaning of the character "Nuo" is a patterned step to drive away the devil during the last month of the Chinese lunar new year.〔(Nuo Drama of China: History, Mask, Region )〕 The Chinese character for "opera" is "戏" in simplified Chinese or "戲" in traditional Chinese. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nuo opera」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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