Cultural Representations of Chizhou Nuo and Villagers’ Belief Systems from a Semiotic Perspective

Abstract

Chizhou Nuo, an important ritual performance tradition in China, carries social functions of blessing, protection, moral regulation, and community cohesion. Despite Chizhou Nuo Opera's recognized social functions, how its symbolic systems resist erosion and sustain spiritual relevance in villagers' daily life amid modernization—especially via a semiotic-anthropological lens—remains underexamined. This study applied a semiotic framework, combined with anthropological and folkloristic approaches, to examine how cultural representations of Nuo shape villagers’ belief systems and social practices. Based on fieldwork in specific villages in Chizhou, Anhui Province, along with interviews and participant observation, the research demonstrated that masks, dances, chants, and ritual spaces together form a multilayered system of signs. These representations not only transmit supernatural beliefs and cultural norms but also reinforce emotional expression and the reproduction of social relations. The research highlighted the active agency of villagers: as interpreters of signs, they actively transform ritual symbols into religious identification and emotional reliance, thereby sustaining faith, regulating emotion, and strengthening community bonds. The study contributes to heritage research by integrating semiotic analysis with folklore perspectives, foregrounding the agency of interpreters, and highlighting the role of emotions and social adaptation within ritual practices.