Secret script an act of female independence

Nvshu is a phonetic script that records local dialect. There are only about 700 characters in nvshu, which represent multiple meanings. In contrast, Mandarin learners need to comprehend more than 10,000 characters to fully express themselves. "So nvshu is more convenient," Peng said.

He added most of the nvshu writings take the form of poems, with standardized lines and meter.

To keep their script a secret from men, it was covertly passed between generations of women via song, embroidered on cloth or via pieces of paper clandestinely circulated. For their part, men weren't overly suspicious and thought the women were doing arts and craft or other activities.

Most nvshu works were closely related to women's lives, covering issues such as marriage and family life, labor, social interaction, culture and entertainment, customs, religious beliefs and morality. They also dealt with emotions such as happiness, anger and grief.

A renowned Jiangyong nvshu work, written by Yi Nianhua (1907-1991) tells the story of a young woman, Yulian, who was saved by a young man after being attacked by robbers on the night of the Lantern Festival. He left without giving her his name, and Yulian became lovesick.

Another work tells the story of a woman who fled to her nephew's home after being beaten by her husband, while another account tells the sad tale of a woman who drowned herself after being abandoned by her spouse.

Important local events were also recorded, such as anecdotes about the Taiping soldiers, who passed by Jiangyong, involved in the unsuccessful rebellion (1850-1864) against the rule of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Some accounts are autobiographies.