Facing up to responsibility

Despite the diverse means of artistic expression, one consistent element of Nuo performances is the iconic masks worn by the performers.

Similar to the painted faces found in many Chinese traditional opera styles, the wooden masks in Nuotang Opera correspond to different characters. Usually of bright colors and extravagant expressions, the audience can easily tell whether a character is righteous, terrifying or comedic.

Yang Yunxia, 45, is the seventh-generation inheritor of her family's Nuo mask-making technique, and the only female mask artisan in Tongren.

Her ancestors, living in Tongren's Yanhe Tujia autonomous county, have been making Nuo masks since 1779. However, before Yang, the skills were only passed down to male descendants because of the heavy manual labor involved.

She didn't think she would ever make these masks, but in 2005, her mother's passing came as a crushing blow to her father, who could not continue his work. To finish an incomplete order, Yang started learning the skills and helped her father make the masks.

"The client had already paid a deposit, and we had to keep our word. I thought of returning the deposit, but the client said that I could give it a shot, and he was willing to accept any finished product," Yang says.

Without any artistic background, Yang had her father draw the lines on the masks, so she could carve along them. The intricate procedures and intensive labor weighed heavily on her at first, and she wanted to give up. However, she continued to practice nonstop, from 8 am to 5 pm, every day.

"My father had worked so hard for so many years, and I didn't want the craft to die out in my generation. Traditional handicraft doesn't have a big market, and many people ask me why I keep on doing this. My answer is that this is my responsibility," she says.

Yang's family is now the only one in Yanhe county to produce handmade Nuo masks. She has also been exploring other income streams based on the craft, including miniature masks, car pendants, bracelets and even home decorations that stand more than 1 meter tall.