Playing Tusks is a tour de force in Ninghai Opera, a minor form of traditional Chinese operas popular in Zhejiang province, especially in the east of Zhejiang. With a history dating back four centuries, it enjoys an equal reputation with Face Changing in Sichuan Drama. They are known as “face in the west and tusk in the east”.
Playing Tusks, a regional art form, is mainly used in Ninghai Opera. Derived from the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Ninghai Opera is one of the oldest opera forms in Zhejiang province and is mainly played by Ninghai actors. It was on the first list of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage announced by the Ministry of Culture on May 20, 2006.
Four steps are involved when playing tusks: biting, licking, gulping and disgorging. The tusks extracted from boars are usually two cun (a unit of length, about 1/3 decimeter). Actors play tusks flexibly and quickly in their mouths to create cruel and greedy images on stage.
Inheriting the Technique of Playing Tusks
Playing Tusks is on the verge of extinction for the skills are hard to acquire and master. It has attracted attention from the government and the public.
The government has done a series of work on protecting Ninghai Opera since the founding of the PRC. The Ninghai Opera Performing Team was established in 1957 and later developed into the Ninghai Opera Troupe. In order to inherit and protect the tour de force in Ninghai Opera -- Playing Tusks -- the troupe selected eight young actors to learn the skills from Ye Quanmin, the successor of the fourth generation in 2000.
The technique developed from playing six tusks to 10 and won more popularity across China, especially in Zhejiang.
Xue Jiaji, the vice director of the Ninghai Opera Troupe, believes the Ninghai Opera and the technique of playing tusks should be closer to ordinary audiences. “We have intensive performances in various places including Hangzhou and Taizhou during the first half of the year and a special performance is on the schedule,” Xue said.
The Cultural Bureau of Ninghai County has collected materials to publish a book introducing the technique of playing tusks. “The training base for inheriting Ninghai Opera is found in our troupe,” Xue said. With the implementation of these measures, the technique of playing tusk is still surviving.
Playing Tusks on Stage and Backstage
Media at all levels focus on the technique of playing tusks. Actors were invited to a program in CCTV 4 and a feature on skill was reported by CCTV 1. Newspapers called it the “oriental tour de force” in their reports.
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