Nuo is a time-honoured cultural phenomenon of rituals practiced to expel evil spirits and disease. Its name is derived from one such rituals, where people shouted "Nuo, Nuo" to drive away the devil. From temples, masks, dramas, symbols and costumes, to weapons, Nuo culture is a complex mix of anthropology, ethnicity, folk customs, religious ceremonies, and dramatic values. Knowing about Nuo culture gives a quick glance at the primitive and mysterious ways of ancient Chinese.

China is preparing to name Nuo as an Intangible Cultural Heritage through UNESCO.

In its prime, Nuo was popular across the country. Nuo dance is known as the 'living fossil of Chinese dance.'Nuo drama is an intelligent creation of working people, and Nuo masks continue to stir imagination and inspiration.

The Nuo dance was originally performed to drive away evil spirits at sacrificial rituals during ancient times. The Nuo ceremony was first recorded on bones and tortoise shells during the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC), and flourished in the Zhou Dynasty (11th century-256BC). As the number of its participants increased from 100 to 1,000, ceremonies became more magnificent. At the time, besides the grand Nuo ceremony held by the royal court, Nuo folk ceremonies also appeared in the countryside.

With the development of science and technology, the dance gradually declined, and in the Central Plains in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, it disappeared completely after the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Today, the dance can only be seen during the Spring Festival in remote mountainous areas, such as parts of Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Anhui provinces, inhabited mostly by minority ethnic groups.