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Anshun opera (Dixi opera)
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2014-12-20
Anshun opera, or Dixi opera, a kind of folk primitive performance prevalent in Tunpu, is popular with Tunpu people for its expansive and unrestrained style.
It is an old folk play inextricably linked with the Jiangnan culture. Anshun opera is usually performed in the open intermontane basin of the village, encircled by people. Generally, it is performed during the Spring Festival and the flowering time of rice. It features singing and dancing. The scripts of Anshun opera are unique in that they focus only on Tunpu people's way of life. More importantly, wooden masks are indispensable to the performances.
As Anshun opera can best reflect the behaviors and mindset of the Tunpu people, it is called "the living fossil of drama". The opera has been on the national intangible cultural heritage list thanks to its unique cultural value.