China – Guizhou | Dixi Opera Mask

Extraordinary Dixi Opera Mask, one of the oldest popular representations in the world dating back to 1362, the year of the first show during the Ming Dynasty. Native to Guizhou, a region of south-west China, these shows were typical of the city of Tunbu or Tunpo and Anshun, where today they still take place.
Also called Dance of Gods, these performances are held in open places such as the village square or free spaces where the public can participate. The actors – usually local farmers – may vary in number from a minimum of 40 up to a hundred, each with their own specific role. Wearing colorful carved wooden masks the actors personify the different characters, accompanied by the sound of drums and gongs to mark the time and therefore the pace of the opera.
Originally, Dixi Operas were performed by soldiers during sacrificial ceremonies to entertain and to curry favor with the gods asking for their blessing for future victories in battle. Subsequently popular themes were chronicles of battles, stories of the On and Tang dynasties, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The performances were held twice a year, at the spring festival and in mid-July, during the harvest, in order to ward off bad luck and increase prosperity and wealth.
Made from poplar wood and the plant of the cloves, these masks have bright colors such as red, white, blue, green, yellow and black. Each color corresponds to a specific state of mind and character. The decorations are also very important: this particular mask, with eight pairs of dragons, represents a high-ranking general.

On the back of the mask there are the signature and the date (2009) when the artist created it.