China’s Women Only Script
August 15, 2018
Top Stories
Nüshu means women’s writing. During the 19th and 20th centuries it was used by peasant women as a secret script in a small region of Hunan province.
The script was exclusive to women and was never taught to men. The general public barely knew of it’s existence until the 1980s.
Knowledge of the script was passed down from mother to daughter, and although some men knew that it existed, they were unable to read it. The script was used from female relatives and friends to communicate in an intimate way during the time of a highly patriarchal society.
Sworn sister relationships would be established between pairs of girls who grew up together in the same village. This was known as the laotong relationship and was expected to last for a lifetime.
These married peasant women lived highly controlled lives, as they were mostly kept indoors doing household chores. The script helped them keep their laotong relationships alive, which was deeply cherished by all.
It only became known to the public when an old woman fainted in a train station. The script was brought to the attention of the police once they went through her belongings. The woman was in fact arrested for being a spy at first, since they were unable to recognize what was written.
The first man to master the script was Zhou Shuoyi, who published the first dictionary of the characters in 2003. The strokes of the script are comprised of arcs, vertical lines and arcs, and was written from top to bottom, just like traditional Chinese texts.
By the time scholars began to study the script in the 1980s, it was already on the verge of going extinct, with only about a dozen women left who could understand and write it. The last person to be proficient in the script passed away in 2004 at the age of 98.
You may also like
The Difference Between A Bass Guitar And An Electric Guitar
If you are a lover of music then you must have noticed that there are two main types of guitars used in bands. This includes the bass guitar and the electric guitar. Both of these instruments are highly important in music and play different roles. Now when simply looking at them you may think that they are the same instrument that just looks a little different. This is where you are wrong. There are major differences when it comes to the bass guitar and the electric guitar. Now you aren’t wron
Read More
How Long Are Anacondas?
Whenever people talk about animals in the Amazon jungle, we definitely think of anacondas. This is because anacondas are known for living in the jungle. Now that’s not all we know about them. Thanks to all the movies that have been made about anacondas, we should know that they are really long snakes. Not only are they really long, but we have all seen that they are also really big in width. This is partially why many people are so scared of them, but also why people are so intrigued by them.
Read More
Comfort Food Ideas
Regardless if it's summer or winter we all crave comfort foods from time to time. This is because comfort foods fill you up and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Comfort foods can really be anything you want them to be. It really all depends on what your tastes are. With that said, if you haven’t really heard of comfort foods, then you should know that there are a number of dishes that give you that comfortable feeling after eating. There are several options available, and the following
Read More
Accessories For Men
Men's fashion isn’t really something a lot of people talk about. Now there are a few men in the world that have decided to make men's fashion a priority. With that said, men truly do have a lot more options than they use to. Now, if you are someone that thinks of yourself as someone that is fashionable, you may have a number of different accessories at your disposal. Having a lot of accessories is all good and well, but not knowing how to style them can be the difficult part. Luckily for you,
Read More
Get Your Adrenaline Pumping With Rock Climbing
Do you think of yourself as an adrenaline junky? If you do then rock climbing might just be for you. You don’t have to be an adrenaline junky to enjoy this extreme sport. There are many people who enjoy rock climbing for fun. It is a great indoor or outdoor activity that anyone can enjoy. That’s right, rock climbing is for people of all ages and can be enjoyed all over the world. Now you should know that you can’t just go ahead and start climbing on rocks and call it a day, there is quite
Read More