Posted 2017/3/30
The Xiangdong Nuo mask is an outstanding kind of traditional folk carving art. Xiangdong is an area of Pingxiang City, the coal capital south of the Yangtze River.
Xiangdong Nuo mask-carving formed two different styles in the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. The Tang style is relatively rough, while the Song style, is refined.
The carving technique of Nuo masks was introduced to Xiangdong from the adjacent Hunan Province during the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911), with the Song style widely accepted and popularized. The Song-style masks are usually simple, primitive and exquisite. At present, there are 440 varieties of Song-style masks that have made it through the generations intact.
There are more than ten sets of procedures to make a Xiangdong Nuo mask. The vivid expressions and head decorations usually boast specific connotations, primitive or exaggerated with distinctive local flavor.
However, due to the difficulty of the process and the amount of time it takes to complete a mask, the younger generation is losing interest in learning this carving art. It urgently needs protection.
