The Di-xi, or “Earth Operas” of Anshun, in the central Kweichow region of China, are held on the open ground, especially at the time of the Spring Festival and at the flowering of the rice crop, and on special celebratory occasions, such as a temple raising. The form has it roots in exorcistic practices and participation in the plays is still regarded as being conducive to good harvests, bountiful livestock, freedom from disaster, and a peaceful life. Another name for the “Earth Operas” is T’iao-shen, “The Dance of the Gods.” The performances themselves, while certainly a form of theatre, incorporate many rituals, starting with the breaking out of the masks from a chest in public and the “Descent of Four Generals,” in which four martial figures dance into the arena, betokening the banishment of demons from all of the cardinal directions. After offerings are made to temples, bridges, and water wells, the fully costumed actors stop at the doors of houses, speaking a few auspicious words and “Opening the Gate of Wealth.” Only then, do the plays themselves commence.

The form seems to have originated to the north in China, perhaps near Kweilin, during the Sung era. It is said to have been carried to Kweichow by Chu Yüan-chang’s southern expeditionary army and its accompanying migrants to the area around 1388. Large military settlements were founded, and the plays may well have served to keep up morale and a sense of historical purpose. The repertoire constitutes a folk history of China, with semi-historical tales spanning the 2500 years from the Shang dynasty to 1465 AD in the mid-Ming dynasty. The emphasis is on martial dramas and romances adapted from popular literature and given an overlay of myth. Thus, Fan Li-hua in Hsuëh Ting-shan’s Campaign to the West becomes a heroine with powers over wind and rains. The style of performance is marked both by combat-oriented routines and by dance movements adapted from daily life. A single drum and gong accompany the singing of the characters, and the actors sing about their characters deeds in the third person, keeping the action poised between story telling and mimetic enactment.

The making of the masks is also accompanied by a complex set of rituals, involving the anointing of the woodblock and tools with fowl’s blood, the reciting of incantatory phrases, and the “opening of the light” ritual to impart divine power. Crafted by artisan farmers, the wooden masks are characterized by a wide range of colorings, prominent eyes, and elaborately carved head and earpieces featuring coiled dragons and phoenix wings. They are worn at such an angle that the voice is unblocked and vision is through the nostrils and beneath the mask’s rim. Since the plays are performed in natural amphitheatres and the audience views the performances from above, the masks are fully viewable when worn in this manner. Five categories of martial masks are featured in the plays: civil generals, martial generals, elderly generals, young generals, and female generals. There are also hermits, clowns, campfollowers, peasants, children and animals. Each opera requires its own set of masks numbering from around fifty to around three hundred, and it is estimated that there are three hundred sets of masks in the region.