Artists involved in a Chinese folk art traditionally associated with the Spring Festival are to take their battle to preserve their culture on to the international stage.

 

Artists of China's Nuo opera are trying to put the ancient Chinese folk dance on the list of world intangible cultural heritage as a way to prevent it from dying out.

Nuo opera was originally performed during the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays to drive away devils, disease, evil spirits and petition for blessings from the gods. Singing and dancing are included in Nuo opera and performers wear costumes and masks.

Qu Liuyi, president of the China Nuo Opera Research Institute, said eight Chinese provinces, where the opera was still performed, had been working together for the application.

"They will apply for nomination to be on the Urgent Safeguarding List of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)," Qu told Xinhua.

Qu said the application documents will be evaluated by the Ministry of Cultural in mid February before they are submitted to the UNESCO. The results will be released by UNESCO in September.

 

Nuo opera, commonly referred as the "living fossil of opera", is a kind of folk dramatic art in China that originated from primitive religion.

In recent decades the ceremony is more a theatrical performance for entertainment and expresses farmers' longing for good weather, bumper harvests and family prosperity.

Qu said Nuo opera has become increasingly commercialized in recent years. "Efforts should be made to prevent the ancient art from dying out in the modern society."

Nuo performers are often equipped with whips and dance to different mysterious tunes. They also wear masks painted in different colors -- black, white and red -- and bear varied countenances -- some look amiable and others ferocious and frightening.

According to the UNESCO website, the deadline for the nomination for inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List is March 16, 2009.

Intangible cultural heritage means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills, as well as the instruments, objects and artifacts, according to UNESCO's "Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage".

(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2009)