Preservation and cultural literacy transmission of Nuo opera in Dejiang City, Guizhou, China

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

This study investigates the preservation and cultural literacy transmission of Nuo Opera in Dejiang City, Guizhou, China, within the context of contemporary social transformation. Grounded in ethnomusicology, the research examines how ritual practices, musical performance, and community participation sustain this traditional form of intangible cultural heritage. A qualitative research design was adopted, employing fieldwork methods including participant observation, in-depth interviews with inheritors and practitioners, and documentation of ritual activities and cultural institutions. The findings reveal that the core preservation of Dejiang Nuo Opera remains firmly rooted in domestic ritual spaces, where inheritors transmit ceremonial procedures, singing practices, and symbolic knowledge through apprenticeship and long-term participation. These family-based environments function as the primary sites for embodied cultural literacy, encompassing ritual meanings, performance techniques, and the use of sacred objects. At the same time, Nuo Opera has expanded into broader social contexts, including stage performances, school education programs, museum exhibitions, and cultural tourism initiatives. In these institutional settings, ritual elements are often simplified and reinterpreted as cultural symbols to facilitate public understanding and dissemination. Although these transformations reduce the completeness of ritual procedures, they play a significant role in enhancing social visibility and promoting cultural awareness among wider audiences. The study demonstrates that the preservation of Dejiang Nuo Opera operates through a dual structure, in which community-based ritual practice maintains the living tradition while institutional platforms support its cultural transmission and recognition. This complementary relationship enables Nuo Opera to continue functioning as both a ritual practice and a cultural resource, contributing to the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage in contemporary society.