Folk artisan works on Nuo Opera masks in China's Hubei

Folk artisan Wang Rubin demonstrates a Nuo Opera mask at his workshop in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hubei Province, March 12, 2014. Masks are a distinguishing feature of the Nuo Opera, an ancient folk drama which is still popular in many Chinese provinces along the Yangtze River. Nuo Opera performers are believed to gain the capability to communicate with deities once they wear their masks. In Enshi, the kind of Nuo Opera performed by the local Tujia people serves as both secular entertainment and a votive ritual. For more than two decades, Wang Rubin has been devoted to preserving and promoting mask-making techniques of the Enshi Nuo Opera, now a listed national intangible cultural heritage in China. So far, Wang has crafted over 1,000 Nuo Opera masks based on various theatrical and mythical characters.