The main characters in the dance dramas all wear vivid, lifelike, wooden masks, featuring distinctive folk styles of the Yellow River Valley.

In Shiyou village on the border between Jiangxi and Fujian Provinces, the Nuo dance is performed only once a year. The village dance group begins the year's performance in their home village on the first day of the first month of the Chinese lunar year. The next day, they set out for a performing tour at neighbouring villages and don't return until the 16th of the month. On that day, people from the area visit their relatives and friends in Shiyou village, where they are invited to enjoy a meal and Nuo dances.

The Nuo dance in Shiyou village is performed to the sound of a beating drum and ancient war cries. On that night, the entire village is immersed in wild revelry.

The dance is vigorous and dignified. Nuo dance has played its part in helping establish the Chinese nation.

  Nuo Masks

In Nuo sacrifices, masks play a very important role. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, when sacrifices were prevalent, the ritual leader wore a golden mask with four eyes to frighten away ghosts and devils. In Nuo drama performances, masks are the most important prop and a major characteristic that distinguishes this drama from the others.

Each Nuo mask has a fixed name, represents a certain role and has legendary stories to tell about its origins. In Guizhou, a province with the largest number of Nuo drama repertoires, at least 24 masks are required to perform an entire Nuo drama piece.

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