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Six people are required to act in the Cuotaiji performance. Five of them wear masks, except the "Mountain-forest Old Man." The drama consists of four sections: sacrifice, cultivation, celebration and good wishes.

It begins on the fifth day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. The last section comes on the 15th day of the first month. The performances are usually staged in the evenings.

'Seizing the Yellow Devil' -- a repertoire

The Yellow Devil is shackled.

"Seizing the Yellow Devil" is a nuo dance drama from Wu'an County in Handancity, Hebei Province. The people of Guyi village in Wu'an perform the dance drama during the Lantern Festival(the 15th day of the first lunar month each year). They build temporary archways and stages throughout the village, injecting a festive atmosphere to the small region. The performance begins with several scouts riding on horseback along the village streets. A procession of 100 people holding flags and banners and beating gongs then follows the horsemen around the village to seize the "Yellow Devil." Again and again, guns are fired to announce the coming of the procession. The night before the performance, the Yellow Devil, which is acted out by a veteran of the art, begins to "haunt" the village, and the villagers carry weapons, such as sticks and knives, to chase the devil until it is caught the following morning. The Yellow Devil is then shackled and led by the "Elder Spirit" and the "Younger Spirit" to parade in the streets. After a trial, conducted by the "King of Hell" and "Justice Official of Hell," the Yellow Devil is sentenced to death and "executed" at noon.

Together with the dance drama "Seizing the Yellow Devil," other folk arts are also performed, such as the pair opera (including the mask opera), the lion dance, the land boat, and martial arts. The entire performance involves 600 performers and over 50 horses.

The Yellow Devil represents evil people who disobey their parents and persecute the weak; its punishment conveys people's moral concept of respecting the elderly and protecting the young, as well as their longing for a good harvest, harmonious family life and peace in the world.