Abstract: The Nuo play is a kind of religious ceremony for driving a way pestilence wi th a history of several thousand years. It originated in pre-his torial times and prospered during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. It is the carrier of Nuo cul ture, with masks as its major artistic feature. The Nuo play, known as the living fossil of the Chinese play cul ture
, is a cul tural treasure wi th rich cul tural c onnotation andmul tiple academic value. Today, many of our national heritages, including the Nuo art , are facing a grave situat ion of lacking successors and disappearing out of the historical stage. Under such circumstances, it is quite necessary to found a Nuo play masks museum in China, and thesooner this is done, the better.

Key words: the Nuo play, the Nuo play masks, museum, evaluation, feasibility