Sangzhi Nuo Opera originated from primitive and rough sacrificial rituals. It is divided into Gao Nuo, Di Nuo and Sanyuan Nuo. Among them, Sanyuan Nuo is unique in China. Among the 39 townships (towns, farms) in Sangzhi County and its surrounding counties and cities in Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou and Chongqing, Liaojiacun District (including Liaojiacun, Shangdongjie, Lianghekou, Chenjiahe, Daguquan and Qiaoziwan) is mainly Di Nuo; Furongqiao District (including Furongqiao, Mahekou, Guandiping, Jinzang, Changtanping, Baishi and Xilian) is mainly Bai Gao Nuo; Ruitapu District (including Ruitapu, Kongkeshu, Maidiping, Zhuyeping, Zoumaping and Renchaoxi) is mainly a mixture of Gao and Di Nuo. In 2008, Sangzhi Nuo Opera was identified as the second batch of intangible cultural heritage list items in Hunan Province. Sangzhi Nuo Opera has experienced the development trajectory of Nuo, Nuo dance (witch dance), Nuo ritual (Nuo sacrifice), and Nuo Opera. Wang Yi's "Chu Ci Zhangju" said: "In the past, the town of Nanying in Chu State, between Yuan and Xiang, believed in ghosts and loved to worship. In the worship, there must be songs, music and dance to please the gods." In the Song Dynasty, the Nuo Opera of Liyang, Lizhou was introduced to Sangzhi. In the Yuan Dynasty, the Nuo Opera of Dali, Yunnan was introduced to Sangzhi. It reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty, and gradually formed several major schools, including low (yang) Nuo, high (yin) Nuo and Sanyuan Pangu Nuo. The Annals of Sangzhi County in the 11th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1872) recorded: "A half-figure of a man and a half-woman is carved from wood and placed on a table. It is called Low Nuo. The witch holds a sword and walks in the Yu-step manner, dances and sings to summon the gods, and then performs various performances. The audience even stands there." Low (yang) Nuo, high (yin) Nuo and Sanyuan Pangu Nuo are popular in the Bai and Tujia ethnic groups, respectively. The Nuo sacrifice of Sangzhi Gao Nuo includes 24 activities: opening the altar, drying animals, buying pigs, building bridges, withdrawing troops, welcoming the saint to descend to the altar, respectfully welcoming the king, setting up camp, dismounting, asking for divination, passing tea, worshipping the gods, drinking wine, offering meals, worshipping the gods, wearing white, locking the doors (three stars worshipping birthdays), opening caves, offering sacrifices and silk, opening the altar, selecting generals, pioneering the way, white flags, fairy mothers scouting for military information, opening the mountain gods, Jiang Nu Gouyuan, sealing the warehouses, crossing the pass, sending the children back to the clan, sending the gods to their positions, etc. Most of the Sangzhi low-level Nuo believe in the "Three Yuan" religion, and their main purpose is to drive away ghosts, expel evil spirits, fulfill vows and resolve disasters, which is called "returning Nuo vows". Nuo sacrifices are divided into 24 scenes: opening the altar, sending the two flags of Gongcao to the vanguard, building bridges, setting up the temple, opening Taoyuan Cave, running to scout military information, opening the mountain, setting up camp, welcoming the saint, receiving the emperor, telling tea and persuading wine, welcoming the gods to dismount, white flag fairy mother dismounting, asking for divination, locking up and breaking the evil spirit, offering sacrifices to the land gods and mothers, protecting the altar, hooking the wish, building bridges, fairy masters passing the barriers and solving the evil spirits, linking the white case, sending children home, sending gods back to their positions, going out of the madness, expelling the epidemic, calming the gods and thanking the land, etc. The content of Sangzhi Nuo Opera consists of two parts: Zhengchao and Huachao. According to the procedure of Zhengchao first, Huachao second, and Zhengchao again, it constitutes a ceremony of inviting gods, paying tribute to gods, fulfilling vows and sending gods. There are "24 plays" and "50 Huachao plays" in the traditional repertoire of Sangzhi Nuo Opera. The "Twenty-Four Plays" are divided into the first twelve plays and the last twelve plays. The first twelve plays are mainly "god plays", which are used to worship gods during rituals; the last twelve plays are human plays, which are mainly divided into "main eight plays" and "external eight plays". The "main eight plays" are: "Sending Gongcao" (opening play, inviting gods), "welcoming gods and setting their positions", "Bai people's archway", "setting up a camp", "opening the mountain", "excavating the land", "sacrificing and praying", and "making wishes and sending gods". The "external eight plays" can be summarized as "three tortures" and "four reunions" and other consecutive plays. "Three tortures" refer to "torturing Jiangnu", "torturing Longnu" and "torturing Xiaotao", and "four reunions" refer to the four reunion plays of heaven, earth, water and yang. The "four reunions" include: "heaven reunion" the incident in Baojiazhuang; "earth reunion" the story of Liang Zhu; "water reunion" the story of Liu Yi delivering a letter; "yang reunion" the story of Meng Jiangnu. The fifty flower court plays include "Miaofanghui", "Liangdai Fengguan", "Lingge Baking Wine", "Going Up the Mountain", etc. Sangzhi Nuo Opera also has Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou, but all the actors wear wooden masks. The characters in Nuo Opera are divided into five categories: civil, martial, old, young, and female. The related products of Sangzhi Nuo Opera include Shenqi, Nuo God, Dharma Seal, Five Buddha Crown, Command Flag, Token, Nuo Proper Face, Big Sifting Gong, Small Hook Pot, Back Drum, Earthen Cymbals, Earthen Suona, Lion Shoulder Pole, Wooden Fish, Ox Horn, Scissor, Eight Treasures Copper Bell, etc. Sangzhi Nuo Opera has its own independent system and performance style. Its characteristics are: First, it adheres to "main play and main performance" and "flower play and flower performance". The main festival worships Wu Nuo gods, and the flower festival entertains gods and people with drama. The main play and main performance must strictly "follow the rules and sentences, follow the words and tunes, follow the rules and steps, and be meticulous". Flower play is improvisation and improvisation. Second, the Sangzhi Nuo Opera is all spoken in the local dialect of Sangzhi, with a low voice and a narrow range, full of the mood of ancient sacrificial rituals, and maintaining the ancient traditions of "one person starts, and everyone joins in" and "music hides in music". Third, the Sangzhi Nuo Opera has rich singing styles, with more than 300 kinds. Sangzhi Nuo Opera retains the traces of the transition from folk Nuo sacrifices to folk dramas, and has created characters with personality characteristics. It is full of romanticism and has high artistic value. The national roots and flood myths reflected in the Sangzhi Nuo Opera are precious materials for studying the history of the Sangzhi nation. The ancient customs such as returning Nuo wishes, crossing the pass, marriage customs, and bathing customs that remain in the Nuo Opera have high research value in folklore. The three-yuan main Nuo in the Sangzhi Nuo Opera combines the "three-yuan qi of heaven, earth, and water" with human relations and all things, becoming a textbook of ideals and morality for the Sangzhi people, and has high cultural value. In 2008, Sangzhi Nuo Opera was included in the second batch of intangible cultural heritage list of Hunan Province.