A glimpse into Nüshu (女书; “women’s script”), a unique syllabic script created and used entirely by women, was provided through the workshop “Nüshu: Learning how to write the secret language of women” at Casa Garden yesterday afternoon.
Gathering a group of participants, the workshop was held as part of the “15th Macau Literary Festival – The Script Road” and coincided with International Women’s Day yesterday. Leading the workshop was Pan Shengwen, one of the students of a Nüshu transmitter* from a dedicated museum in the Chinese mainland, she told the Post after yesterday’s event, introducing the language to keen participants of different backgrounds.
Nüshu was developed by rural women in the Xiao River valley of Jiangyong county, Hunan province, mainly taught by mothers to daughters and practiced for fun among sisters and friends, according to an article on the UNESCO Courier website.
Wikipedia notes that Nüshu is a phonetic script with around 600–700 characters, each representing a syllable. It allowed women to express their thoughts and connect within a supportive community. Typically, groups of three or four unrelated young women would pledge friendship through letters and songs in Nüshu, Wikipedia pointed out, adding that women were typically not taught to read and write the mainstream Chinese script. It likely peaked during the late Qing Dynasty (1644–1911).
Pan, who has been learning about the language for four years, said she first heard about the culture behind it over the internet. She described Nüshu and its related works to be inspiring, inclusive and empowering.
Presenting this language to yesterday’s workshop participants, Pan said it was showcased through three sections, namely offering a basic introduction and history, engaging in the creation of related works, and exploration through song.
Moreover, while Nüshu was a language used exclusively by women, Pan said that with the development of times, it had also garnered interest from many men, who have shown willingness to join workshops, being welcome to learn more.
Following yesterday’s workshop, a screening of the 2022 Chinese documentary film on the language titled “Hidden Letters” was held in the Casa Garden Auditorium.
The 15th literary festival continues through Sunday, with a raft of programmes featured in its schedule from book presentations to concerts. For more details, one can visit https://www.facebook.com/macaulitfest/
*To preserve its heritage, a Nüshu museum was opened in 2002, and “Nüshu transmitters” were designated in 2003, Wikipedia points out.
Pang Shengwen guides participants in the Nüshu workshop yesterday afternoon at Casa Garden. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
This photo shows Nüshu characters.
