Gen Z women embrace an ancient code written for them

The Star

2 days ago

The photo taken on July 23, 2025 shows people learning Nushu calligraphy in a hotel conference room repurposed as a temporary classroom in Jiangyong county, southern China's Hunan province. Nushu, "female script", was created around 400 years ago when women were still barred from attending school. They secretly learned Chinese characters and adapted them into Nushu, using the script to communicate with each other through letters, songs, and embroidery. (Photo by Jade GAO / AFP) / To go with AFP story China-culture-history, FOCUS by Isabel Kua with Emily Wang in Shanghai
At a studio in central Hunan province, a teacher grips an ink brush, gently writing characters of a secret script created by women centuries ago and now being embraced by a new generation.
Nushu, meaning 'women's script', emerged around 400 years ago.
Barred from attending school, the women secretly learned Chinese characters and adapted them into Nushu, using the script to communicate with each other through letters, song and embroidery.
Passed down through generations of women in the remote and idyllic county of Jiangyong, it is now gaining popularity nationwide among Chinese women who view it as a symbol of strength.
Student Pan Shengwen said Nushu offers a safe way for women to communicate with each other.
'It essentially creates a sanctuary for us,' the 21-year-old said.
'We can express our thoughts, confide in our sisters and talk about anything.'
Compared to Chinese characters, Nushu words are less boxy, more slender and shaped like willow leaves.
On Instagram-like Xiaohongshu, the hashtag 'Nushu' has been viewed over 73.5 million times – mostly featuring young women sharing tattoos and other modern work incorporating the old script.
Student He Jingying said she had been enrolled in a Nushu class by her mother and that writing it brought her 'a deep sense of calm'.
'It feels like when the brush touches the paper, a kind of strength flows into you.'
Nushu is more than just a writing system – it represents the lived experiences of rural women from the county, Zhao Liming, a professor at Beijing's Tsinghua University, said.
'It was a society dominated by men,' said Zhao, who has been studying Nushu for four decades.
'Their works cried out against this injustice.'
An hour's drive away, around a hundred Nushu learners packed into a hotel room to attend a week-long workshop organised by local authorities trying to promote the script.
Animation student Tao Yuxi, 23, one of the handful of men attending the workshop, said he was learning Nushu to gain inspiration for his creative work.
As it represents part of China's cultural heritage, Nushu has to be passed down, he said.
'It's something that everyone should work to preserve – regardless of whether they are women or men.' — AFP