Yang Huanyi

Last inheritor of Nüshu, the world's only gender-specific writing system created by Chinese women

Yang Huanyi (1909–2004) was the last known proficient user of Nüshu, a unique script developed secretly by women in Jiangyong County, Hunan Province, China, during the 19th century. Unlike traditional Chinese characters, Nüshu was created exclusively by and for women as a means of communication and emotional expression in a patriarchal society that denied them formal education.

Nüshu's delicate, rhomboid-shaped characters were often embroidered onto fabrics or written on folding paper fans. Yang Huanyi preserved this cultural treasure by transcribing folk songs, autobiographies, and poems that documented women's struggles and solidarity. Her work provides rare insights into the unwritten history of rural Chinese women and challenges assumptions about gender roles in traditional societies.

Before her death, Yang collaborated with scholars to compile the Nüshu Script Collected Works, ensuring the survival of this UNESCO-recognized intangible heritage. Today, Nüshu inspires feminist movements and linguistic studies about gender-based communication systems.