Abstract

Women’s script is the translation of a Chinese term, Nűshu. It refers to a script devised and transmitted by communities of women in Jiangyong County located in Hunan province in south China during the late imperial and early modern period. The term also refers to the body of writings recorded in that script, such as letters written to women friends and petitions to local deities. Nűshu is regarded as the world’s only gender-specific script. It was used only by women in the pre-contemporary period. Nűshu was primarily used to forge friendships amongst women living in segregated communities within traditional Chinese society. This study will explore a number of stories recorded in women’s script that relate to memories of past events in the region, including traumatic events of war and suffering, and the tumultuous years of the transition to socialism. Nűshu writings provide rare insight into how collective memories help regional communities to construct a sense of group identity and offer a remarkable example of the expressive power of marginalized groups in pre-modern Chinese society.