At a studio in Gou Lam Dao village in Jiangyong district, Hunan province, central China, teacher He Duoc Quyen holds a brush and gently writes the characters of a secret writing system created centuries ago and is being embraced by the younger generation.
Nu Shu (women's writing) was born about 400 years ago, during a time when most Chinese women were banned from going to school. Girls at that time secretly learned Chinese characters and transformed them into Nu Thu, using this script to communicate with each other through poetry and embroidery that men could not read and understand.
Orie Endo, a professor of sociolinguistics at Bunkyo University, Japan, once hypothesized that Nu Thu arose from the practice of Bowing to Sisters in the Dao people's living area in Giang Vinh.
After marrying, women must swear lifelong devotion to their sisters, even though they have no blood relationship.
"The 'sisters' come together to worship the village tutelary god, share sewing and knitting seasons together, and in general they are much closer to each other than actual siblings," Endo explains.
Nu Thu was so secretive by speakers and writers that women often burned manuscripts to keep them from falling into the hands of men, and they would bury objects containing secret characters with them when they died.
But that secrecy also caused Nu Thu to not be widely spread and become increasingly extinct. Nowadays, Nu Thu is usually only used by rare elderly women in remote rural areas.
Recently, with the popularity of social networks, Nu Thu has become more known and attracted the attention of Chinese youth. Ms. Ha Duoc Quyen said that Nu Thu is especially attractive because of its elegance and rarity.
"It seems to be very appreciated, especially for many art students," she shares at the studio, which sells colorful handmade items such as earrings and scarves embroidered with Nu Thu motifs.
Ms. Ha walks in Cau Lam Dao village. Born and raised in Giang Vinh, Nu Thu has been "part of daily life" since childhood. Before retiring, she was the principal of an elementary school and had more than 30 years of research on Nu Thu.
After passing many exams, she became one of 12 "successors" of Nu Thu recognized by the government and qualified to teach.
Teacher Tuong Diem Anh teaches pronunciation of Nu Thu characters in a course at a hotel conference room in Giang Vinh district on July 22, 2025.
The words are read in Vinh Minh, the local language of the Giang Vinh region, making it very difficult for people who speak Mandarin Chinese but are not from this region to learn.
Ms. Tuong often takes advantage of social networking platforms such as Tieu Hong Thu to record the process of teaching and making Nu Thu handicraft products.
The hashtag "Nu Thu" has attracted more than 73.5 million views on Tieu Hong Thu, mainly young girls sharing tattoos and modern works incorporating this ancient script.
Phan Thinh Van, a student participating in the Nu Thu training course in Giang Vinh, said that this writing system provides a safe method of communication for women.
"In essence, it creates a peaceful place for us," the 21-year-old girl shared. "We can express our thoughts, confide in our sisters and talk about anything."
Compared to Chinese characters, Nu Thu characters are less angular, more relaxed, and shaped like willow leaves.
"When writing, you have to breathe evenly and calmly, only then can your strokes be steady," Phan said.
Scenery of Cau Lam Dao village seen from above. Kha Han, 22 years old, a student of the Nu Thu training course in Giang Vinh, said she learned about this writing system online and wanted to "experience it for herself".
"It's a writing system unique to women, which makes it very special," Kha Han said.
Dao Vu Hy, 23 years old, an animation student, was one of the few men who attended the workshop on Nu Thu. This writing system is not associated with men, but Dao believes it needs to be preserved and promoted because it represents a part of China's cultural heritage.
"This is something that everyone should join hands to preserve, regardless of whether they are men or women," Dao said.
