Chinanews.com, Lanzhou, February 20 (Yan Jiao) Recently, thousands of Nuo masks on display in a folk culture museum in Qilihe District, Lanzhou City attracted the attention of netizens.
Many netizens joked before and after the mask was painted, "This is a strong contrast between ineffective makeup and effective makeup."
Ren Qinzhuo, who participated in the process of carving and “applying” Nuo masks, said, “The most difficult step in making Nuo masks is to'make up' them.” He said that if the colors are biased, the charm of Nuo masks will be greatly reduced. , Just like the "invalid makeup" hotly discussed by netizens.
Nuo masks are the props used in Nuo ceremonies and Nuo ceremonies in Nuo culture, and they are also called "ancient expressions on the tip of a knife".
The picture shows the contrast between the uncolored and colored Nuo masks.
Photo by Yan Jiao
Nuo masks are the props used in Nuo ceremonies and Nuo ceremonies in Nuo culture. They are a reproduction of the original totem and an auspicious symbol for disaster relief and auspiciousness. It is also called "the ancient expression on the tip of a knife."
The Northwest Nuo mask is rich in colors. Red represents justice and loyalty, white represents insidiousness and cunning, and gray, blue, and gold have their own color meanings.
The Northwest Nuo masks are rich in colors. Red, white, gray, blue, and gold have their own color meanings.
The picture shows Nuo masks with different shapes.
Photo by Yan Jiao
Ren Qinzhuo, a native of Gansu, is 41 years old and has more than 20 years of experience in making Nuo masks.
He introduced that after many processes, the appropriate color was selected and painted on the corresponding mask. The paint was applied thickly or thinly according to the texture of the mask to make it more three-dimensional and retro, "like a woman's makeup."
The completion of a Nuo mask requires more than a dozen processes including material selection, rough blanks, fine blanks, polishing, dust scraping, brushing, painting, and decoration.
The picture shows the Nuo masks placed according to their shapes and images.
The picture shows the Nuo masks placed according to their shapes and images.
Photo by Yan Jiao
"Jade-faced fox", "ghosts with long beards", and "green faces with fangs"... When a reporter from Chinanews.com visited the museum, they saw that thousands of colorful masks of various shapes are very "retro", and gods, monsters, or sturdies Grim, or kind, with a clear outline and vivid image.
Being in it, it is as if returning to the scene where the ancients wore masks, danced Nuo dance, and held a disaster relief ceremony.
The gods, monsters and spirits in the Nuo masks are either sturdy, fierce, or kind, with clear outlines and vivid images.
Photo by Yan Jiao
The completion of a mask requires more than a dozen processes such as selection of materials, rough blanks, fine blanks, sanding, dust scraping, brushing, painting, and decoration.
Ren Qinzhuo said that painting and coloring most test the craftsman's skill. They pay attention to "stroke precision" and the color should be similar to ancient times, otherwise the mask will lose its texture.
The picture shows one of the "White Face Nuo Masks" among the eight thousand Nuo masks.
Photo by Yan Jiao
Ren Qinzhuo was born in a rural village in Jingning County, Gansu Province where there is a strong Nuo culture. Watching Nuo opera and dancing the Great God and other Chinese New Year entertainment have become the happiest memories of his childhood and his friends.
Because of his fascination since childhood, he became familiar with the local Nuo culture when he was in elementary school.
"Nuo" means "to exorcise the evil spirits", which originated from the nature worship, totem worship and witchcraft consciousness of the ancestors of the Han nationality.
Photo by Yan Jiao
At the age of 17, Ren Qinzhuo went to Longnan City, Gannan Prefecture, Qingyang City and other places to dig deeper into Gansu's Nuo culture to visit folk craftsmen and collect historical stories and folk rumors about "Gansu Nuo".
So by chance, he fell in love with the hand-made Nuo masks, and he was out of control since then.
Yang Haijun, the person in charge of the cultural center, said that the Nuo masks were carved by many folk artists in Gansu over 8 years, totaling more than 8,000 pieces.
In the past 8 years, the craftsmen who "walked" with Ren Qinzhuo were forced to make a living and "seeking another way out", and he was the only one who persisted.
The picture shows the Nuo mask with the image of monsters and monsters.
Photo by Yan Jiao
"The Nuo mask is a record of ancient culture and cannot be forgotten. I will stick to it forever." Ren Qinzhuo said.
The cultural center gathers the local folk culture of Gansu and the culture of the Yellow River. During the Spring Festival, it has become a popular place for people to spend the "Cultural Year" in Lanzhou and surrounding areas. The original ecological masks are also popular with tourists.
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