Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Nüshu: Written for Her, On Her, By Her
The Great Her (UK/China)
Genre: Dance and Movement Theatre, Storytelling
Venue: C Venues Aquilla
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
“Rewrite her stories. Write her. A one-of-a-kind multidisciplinary performance rooted in Nüshu, the secret script of Chinese women. In this ritualistic solo work, Jiayi Chen uses her body as a living scroll, inscribing ancient characters onto her skin with traditional ink. Through live body calligraphy, inspiring contemporary dance, and an original soundscape, the piece becomes a haunting altar of memory, grief, and feminine resistance. A tribute to the missing women in Jiayi’s life, and a bold act of rewriting silenced histories through the body, voice, and art”
Review
Nüshu: Written for Her, On Her, By Her uses dance, storytelling, theatre and writing on the body to explore the women who shaped Jiayi Chen’s life and the women she has lost. At its heart and centre is Nüshu, a writing system created and used by women in southern China, often passed privately between generations. The piece links that hidden female language with memory, grief, family and the difficulty of holding on to people as they disappear from our collective lives .Nüshu literally means “women’s writing”. It was used mainly by women in Jiangyong, Hunan in China, especially at a time when many women were excluded from formal education. They used it to write letters, songs, poems and personal messages to one another. The show doesn’t hold back from showing and sharing the stark reality of how women from the youngest ages hand their feet bound and were traded like cattle in traditions that still pervade culture to this day. I found it a shocking yet necessary show at the Fringe.
The visual design of the productions is striking and forms the backdrop to, and integrates seamlessly with costume, movement and dance. Music and recorded voice also play into the live visuals to create an artistic whole that supports the storytelling fully. Occasionally the background music is too loud for the spoken word and this needs attention in future, so we can hear and understand all that is said. All of the performers are poised and authentic in movement, stillness, vocal and physical delivery. That;s the strength here – this is a full-hearted and full-bodied piece of theatre which is rooted in visual and performance art.
I found myself horrified at what is both a family story and brave cultural exposition and revelation. In our current political context globally, Nüshu: Written for Her, On Her, By Her is more urgent than ever as witness, reportage, history and art. It is daring for that, and the artist has called us to listen and also bear witness. Family connection and warmth is also here in evidence and that both softens and adds both joy and heartbreak to the larger story. Daring work indeed.
