Anshun Opera well preserved in Guizhou

Updated: 2014-09-11 07:00

(chinaculture.org)

Photo taken on March 15 shows an old man helping an Anshun Opera actor with his mask before going onstage in Jiuxi village, Anshun, Guizhou province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Anshun Opera (Dixi opera) is a folk play popular in Anshun of Guizhou province. It emerged in the early years of the Ming Dynasty and has a long history of over 600 years. Noted for its primitive performance style, it is hailed as a "living fossil of Chinese opera", and was listed within the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.