Teeth-Playing in Ninghai Opera

Have you ever head of shua ya, “teeth playing” in Ninghai Pingdiao Opera before?

It’s a century-old cultural heritage from the South of China that only a few people know how to perform.

Teeth playing takes many years to learn, and it can be very painful at first, due to the sharp ends of the teeth and the nauseous smell of the wild boar’s buckteeth.

One of the most famous “teeth playing” performers in China is Xue Qiaoping. She’s able to hold up to 10 buckteeth in her mouth and 2 in her nostrils.