User:Kirstie23/Nüshu

History
Before 1949, Jiangyong County operated under an agrarian economy and women had to abide by patriarchal Confucian practices such as the Three Obediences. Women were confined to the home (through foot binding) and were assigned roles in housework and needlework instead of fieldwork, which allowed the practice of Nüshu to develop. Specifically, unmarried women, also known as "upstairs girls," oftentimes gathered in groups in upstairs chambers to embroider and sing. The practice of singing Nüge (women's song) allowed young women to learn Nüshu.

Jie Bai
One of the key ways in which Nüshu was spread and continued was through Jie Bai, meaning sworn sisters. Jiebai creaed a sisterhood, allowing women to have companions. Unmarried girls often interacted with one another daily. Whether during group needlework, embroidering, or shoemaking, these girls worked together in an upstairs chamber. It was typical that they slept there together as well. “This arrangement led to the building of more intimate bonds through conversation, signing, and playing”. Their poems and songs “embody their testimony to sisterhood”. Although the girls got older and married, separated from their sisters, their bond remained. It was common that this relationship remained even throughout the rest of their lives.

This sworn sisterhood was a huge part of nüshu as girls made sisterhood pacts, writiing nüshu letters and songs to one another. As they approaced marriage, they wrote nushu wedding texts, also known as sanshaoshu, to the bride. Even after marraige, they kept intouch through letters.