Nushu (script)

Nushu "female writing" is a Chinese script that was invented by women who wanted to communicate with each other some 3,000 years ago in Southern China.

Nushu texts
Nushu is a gentler, more feminine version of standard Chinese. Most translated pieces of the writing speak of oppression, low social stature of and the cruelty women experienced. Many give words of hope and support to each other. Only 2,000 characters of this language have been found, from pieces of etched bone to tapestries with the characters worked in.

Suppression
In the 1930's and again in the 1960's, those behind the wars and uprisings burned thousands of Nushu texts, as well as many other ethnic minority writings in an effort to keep the little known languages from being used for spying. Some of the languages that survived are today's Korean and Tibetan.

Translating
As of 2002, there were only two women alive who could read and understand Nushu. Yang Huanyi was 93 and He Yanxin was 63. They were working with Chinese scholars to research, teach and preserve the language.

Resources

 * Anomalies-Unlimited, [//www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Alien%20Writing/Nushu.html http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Alien%20Writing/Nushu.html]