Déjiāng

Dejiang lies in the mountain country northeast of Sinan, home to Tujia and other communities with long traditions of ritual performance. Here masked Nuo ceremonies combine offerings to spirits with music, dance and drama. During the late Ming and early Qing, ritual dances in the wider region absorbed elements of local theatre and developed into Nuo plays performed in ceremonial halls. Carved wooden masks gave form to the gods and characters who appeared before the audience, joining religious observance with stories and performance.