CWU's Women Studies Faculty Visit Jiangyong County

Teachers and students from the Women Studies Faculty of the China Women's University (CWU) went to central China's Hunan Province last month, and visited cultural sites in Jiangyong County.

The activity was arranged by the CWU Council, aiming to develop students' capacity for social survey, promote the development of women's studies as a profession, and encourage more learning about Jiangyong's unique Nüshu culture.

Nüshu is a writing style invented and used exclusively by women to convey their thoughts and emotions. It has been passed down through generations of family, via private schools, getang singing sessions, or self-learning. It is usually written on paper or stitched onto clothes.

Participants went to the Women Culture Park in Pumei Village of Jiangyong County under the guidance of Hunan Women's Federation. There, students interviewed a successor of Nüshu culture and the Party branch secretary of Pumei Village, and communicated with the staff in the park, inquiring about Chinese women's script literature.

The visitors watched a show of women's writing on site, visited exhibitions of female scripts, and sang a song about the local customs.

The attendees surveyed the government's protection on Nüshu culture, and studied the particular significance of Nüshu in promoting the development of women's studies and gender equality.

Website Hnwomen.org.cn and China Women's News both reported on the event, using the titles "Carrying out Nüshu Culture, Promoting Gender Equality" and "Nüshu: Calligraphy with Gender Awareness".

(Source: China Women's University/Translated and edited by Gender Study Network)