The Heroines of Jiangyong were women in rural China who made a secret language – Nüshu – to communicate with each other. Nüshu translates directly to “women’s writing” and is a series of phonetic scripts. The practice is estimated to go back as far as the Shang Dynasty 1600 to 1046 BCE. For centuries it was the language of female defiance to the Chinese patriarchy, legitimizing the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of rural women who had been denied access to an education.
For Further Reading:
- Heroines of Jiangyong
- Nüshu: China’s secret female-only language
- Reviewed Work: Heroines of Jiangyong: Chinese Narrative Ballads in Women's Script
- Nüshu, the women-only language that recorded a hidden perspective of history
- A centuries-old secret script called nüshu is empowering young Chinese women
This month, we’re talking about Word Weavers — people who coined terms, popularized words, and even created entirely new languages. These activists, writers, artists, and scholars used language to shape ideas and give voice to experiences that once had no name.
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Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
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Episode Transcript
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
is Womanica. This month we're talking about word beavers, people
who coined terms, popularized words, and even created entirely new languages.
These activists, writers, artists, and scholars used language to shape
ideas and give voice to experiences that once had no name.
(00:31):
Imagine you're standing on a cliff above jiang Yong in
southern China's Hunan Province. Fog drifts across the craggy ridge lines.
From your perch, you can see sharp sandstone pillars, dotted
by green trees and naughty undergrowth. And down below in
the small villages nestled within the rocky folds of the landscape,
(00:52):
today's womaniquins were birthing a secret language made by and
four women. Let's talk about the heroines of Jo Young.
In feudal Chinese society, women were often at the mercy
of men, first their fathers and then their husbands. The
practice of footbinding and the lack of educational opportunities left
(01:14):
them with limited economic, social, and physical mobility. As a result,
they resorted to subtle forms of resistance in an effort
to make their voices heard. Living in a society that
silenced them forced these women to get creative. No one
really knows exactly when the women of Hunan began creating
their secret language. Scholars estimate the script is at least
(01:35):
several centuries old. The oldest evidence is found on the
back of a bronze coin from the eighteen fifties. The
eight characters etched into its surface form a single sentence,
All the women in the world are members of the
same family. Nushu, which translates to Women's Script, is a
sound based script that has read from right to left
(01:55):
and is a mix of four different Jongyong dialects. Despite
limited reasons sources and widespread of literacy, women would widdow
makeshift bamboo pens and write with the dark ashes left
over from their walks. They would copy the thin, spindly calligraphy,
sometimes referred to as mosquito writing, until they knew it
by heart. Having a language of their own gave women freedom.
(02:18):
They could commiserate with friends in different villages. They could
document their sorrows their hardships. Many translated Nushoe texts are
about unhappy marriages, family conflicts, and grueling work. The works
are so dense with painful memories that nushoes often referred
to as the script of tears. It was the language
of women and women only, allowing them to share their sadness, anger,
(02:41):
and grief in ways they hadn't been able to before.
Not only did Nushoe afford women greater self expression, it
also allowed them to solidify and sustain female solidarity in
a male dominated society. It was, in many ways a
code of defiance against the Chinese patriarchy. Women who used
nushoe to community kate with one another were referred to
(03:01):
as sworn sisters. They would use the language to reaffirm
their devotion to one another, support each other through ups
and downs, and document their life experiences. In the nineteen fifties,
a man named Joe Shuoi became very interested in nushu.
His aunt married into a community that spoke the language,
(03:22):
and he started to research it. But in the nineteen sixties,
Chairman Now took power and unleash the Cultural Revolution on China,
Joe was targeted, his research was burned, and he spent
twenty one years at a labor camp. China's communist leaders
denounced the language entirely. After the Cultural Revolution, Women's rights
and educational opportunities increased, decreasing the need for new Shoe.
(03:47):
In the nineteen eighties, the secret language had a resurgence
in popularity. Three new shoe writers were located in the
small two hundred person village of pue As a result,
this tiny community became the epicenter of research into the script.
In two thousand, a new Shoe school opened in Puei.
Despite the political resistance to his work, Joe continued to
(04:08):
translate Nushoe into Chinese for the rest of his life.
He even published the first Nushoe dictionary in two thousand
and three to make it more accessible for others to learn.
The last surviving fluent native speaker passed away in two
thousand and four. In two thousand and six, Nushoe was
listed as a National and Tangible Cultural Heritage by the
(04:28):
State Council of China. In two thousand and seven, a
museum was built to honor the legacy of the language
and its fore mothers. Nearly five hundred texts in women's
script have been preserved, and several interpreters now work at
the museum, working to learn and teach the language to
future generations. All month, we're talking about word Weavers. For
(04:51):
more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica
Podcast special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and
co creator. Talk to you tomorrow
Host
Jenny Kaplan
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