A secret women's Chinese writing script

Nushu is one of the most interesting and least known writing systems. The words nu shu  means "Woman's Writing" in Chinese,  Nushu is a writing system created and used exclusively by women in a remote part of China. Traditional Chinese culture is male-centered and forbids girls from any kind of formal education, so Nushu was developed in secrecy over hundred of years in the Jiangyong county of Hunan province.

Some Nushu characters are taken from Chinese, while others appear to be invented, but all are rendered in a style much more cursive than written Chinese. In addition, the characters are "thinner" than Chinese characters, which tends to be square-shaped. Also, like Chinese, Nushu is written from top to bottom in columns, and the columns are written from right to left.

The following is an example of Nushu. The text on the left is Nushu, while on the right is the exact Chinese transliteration. I left the columns for both texts in the original right-to-left order.



The passage roughly translates as "They taught her to apply makeup and comb her hair; on her head she was wearing pearls that are shining magnificently; she is sitting like Guanyin (a Buddhist goddess) out of a Buddhist shrine".

There are only a handful of women who can still read and write in this script. In essence it is a dying language. However, no official programs exist to preserve this incredible cultural heritage, and it would be a shame that such a symbol of women's resilience in an oppresive environment will be lost to future generations.

Authors Note: Please read my Dildo Diaries #4 (very adult so if you are offended at adult material DO NOT enter) to learn more about Nushu.  Sadly, the last living woman who could read and write Nushu passed away at around the age of 95 a few years ago.

The Chinese male government banned Nushu, but because of the cash-strapped economy, the Chinese government is offering this for tourists, like in the form of song and dance.  They have printed Nushu textbooks, but the young girls of this modern era are not interested in learning it.

I have written extensively about Nushu and incorporated it into my novel BLUE CORN WOMAN and I have written the text and illustrated the tarot card The Calendar Sticks from a made-up Nushu text I designed.  See my card posted in my den, The Calendar Sticks.

 

Copyright 2005 Sage Sweetwater, firebrand lesbian novelist