THE WOMEN BEHIND THE WORDS

Every word holds a life.

Letters, friendships and threads of memory. Meet the world that gave this writing its voice.

Cover and inside page of a third-day letter, shown in The UNESCO Courier.

Hidden Letters: Hu Xin’s Nüshu handwriting.

Hidden Letters: Hu Xin and He Yanxin reading Nüshu letters together.

UNESCO Courier；原图署名见来源页Source · courier.unesco.org

Letters & works

Letters and third-day wedding books

Personal writing preserves friendship, parting and shared experience.

Read the story Source · courier.unesco.org

Hidden Letters: Hu Xin writing Nüshu.

Hidden Letters: Hu Xin on the balcony of the Nüshu museum.

Hu Xin at a meeting of people’s congress representatives.

Jia Li / Independent Lens / KPBSSource · kpbs.org

Women & transmission

Hu Xin: sharing Nüshu beyond the museum

A museum guide brings writing and hands-on activities to new audiences.

Read the story Source · yzrdw.gov.cn

Fans, embroidery and souvenirs at a Nüshu gift shop.

Visitors try Nüshu embroidery.

Brush writing alongside Nüshu craft displays.

红网 / 周佳琳报道Source · yz.rednet.cn

Contemporary crafts

Fans and embroidery

Portable objects combine script, fabric and handwork.

Read the story Source · yzcity.gov.cn

Hu Meiyue teaching Nüshu in a classroom.

Students tour the Nüshu museum with a guide.

A student research group at the Nüshu Garden, 2024.

红网 / 肖封清月报道Source · yz.rednet.cn

Women & transmission

Hu Meiyue and the Nüshu classroom

Gao Yinxian’s granddaughter continues a family tradition through teaching.

Read the story Source · yzcity.gov.cn

Hidden Letters: Hu Xin and He Yanxin reading Nüshu letters together.

Hidden Letters: Hu Xin’s Nüshu handwriting.

Hidden Letters: Hu Xin writing Nüshu.

Feng Tiebing / Independent Lens / KPBSSource · kpbs.org

Women & transmission

He Yanxin: a life told through Nüshu

A 2025 ethnographic book follows a practitioner’s life and the changes around her.

Read the story Source · ioe.sinica.edu.tw

Zhao Liming, second from left, with three Nüshu practitioners.

Zhao Liming crossing a river during fieldwork in Jiangyong in the 1980s.

A map of the Nüshu region drawn by Zhao Liming.

受访者供图 / 清华大学清新时报Source · qxcm.tsjc.tsinghua.edu.cn

Women & transmission

Zhao Liming: keeping the written record

Fieldwork and the long work of collecting, comparing and preserving texts.

Read the story Source · qxcm.tsjc.tsinghua.edu.cn

Hidden Letters: Simu writing Nüshu.

Hidden Letters: Hu Xin and He Yanxin reading Nüshu letters together.

Hidden Letters: Hu Xin on the balcony of the Nüshu museum.

Feng Tiebing / Independent Lens / KPBSSource · kpbs.org

Letters & works

Hidden Letters: women on screen

The documentary follows Hu Xin and Wu Simu through their encounters with Nüshu.

Read the story Source · pbs.org

Nüshu tradition-bearer Yang Huanyi writing.

A comparison of Chinese and Nüshu characters in the report.

Yang Huanyi (1909–2004) writing Nüshu.

《传奇女书——花蹊君子女九簪》 / 清新时报Source · qxcm.tsjc.tsinghua.edu.cn

Letters & works

Stories sung in women’s script

Narrative ballads offer another path into the women’s reading world.

Read the story Source · uwapress.uw.edu

A designer presents postcards inspired by third-day letters and the eight-pointed flower.

Customers choosing Nüshu cultural gifts.

Nüshu embroidery and writing at a gift shop.

红网 / 周佳琳报道Source · yz.rednet.cn

Contemporary crafts

Bookmarks, phone cases and bags

Nüshu motifs appear on familiar everyday accessories.

Read the story Source · sunyat-sen.org

Summer, a Nüshu jewellery design by Gao Juan.

A model wearing Nüshu jewellery on stage.

Nüshu jewellery presented on a fashion runway.

红网 / 杨中瑜报道；设计：高娟Source · wl.rednet.cn

Contemporary crafts

Four seasons in earrings

Jewellery designer Gao Juan draws on the words for the four seasons.

Read the story Source · sunyat-sen.org

Visitors try Nüshu embroidery.

Nüshu Spring Festival couplets written in the shop.

Nüshu embroidery and writing at a gift shop.

陈丽华摄 / 红网Source · yz.rednet.cn

Contemporary crafts

Lacquer fans and journals

Workshop formats turn a museum visit into a making experience.

Read the story Source · jiangyong.gov.cn

Visitors sharing tea at the Nüshu gift shop.

Nüshu tea presented at a local gift shop.

Hand-making Nüshu-themed zongzi for the 2026 Dragon Boat Festival.

红网 / 吴雨晴、陈丽华报道Source · yz.rednet.cn

Contemporary crafts

Teaware and seasonal gifts

Hu Xin’s exploration brings Nüshu into everyday objects and online shops.

Read the story Source · zx.zxy.hunanzx.gov.cn