Nushu. Writing that gave voice to women
by Giulia Falcini
Beyond the Great Wall, immersed among the Hunan Province hills, there is Puwei village.Here, the memory of the past is still alive, nourishing the lives of the present days. Puweifigures as an oasis of quietness and traditions. A long time ago, challenging to say exactly when, a group of women started a culture: a unique, precious, deep and rich of values custom.The huge gap between man and women, along with their immense wisdom, were the driving force to the creation of the Nushu, the only language in the world created and used exclusively by women. It is a code made of rhomboid characters, having a willowy and graceful shape.Men would not pay attention to it, and this codecould permit the girls to express their thoughts and their torments freely. Nushu settled in apatriarchal society as a way of communication among women incredibly intimate.They used to gather in a room where to needle, sing and talk. These moments were, for them, a sigh of relief from an oppressing routine.
