Teenagers have a secret language. Filled with symbols, single letters, and under-spellings that evoke entire sentences, this secret language has crept its way into their essays and classroom assignments. I carefully slash through the code with the English teacher’s trusty red pen, annoyed more at their willingness to allow an adult into their secret code than their apparent refusal to adopt Standard English. When I was growing up, my friends and I developed a simple, yet indecipherable (or so we thought), code with which to share our secret thoughts and plans. We were sworn to secrecy against a common enemy: the adult world. This fantasy seems to be missing in my students, but its romance is captured perfectly by author Lisa See in her novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

Up until the county’s Cultural Revolution, Chinese women were not typically taught to read and write; this skill was reserved for men. Women, especially in (and before) the 1800s during which See’s novel takes place, led secluded lives, rarely venturing out of the upper rooms of their homes after their footbinding ceremonies. They struggled to maintain contact with their friends and family in other villages. Dictated letters or verbal messages were not an exceptionally private way to share personal information; Chinese scholars believe that nu shu developed as a means of secret communication among women. The characters of this written language were different from men’s writing. Instead of a character conveying a single word, it symbolizes a phonetic sound. The result is a language that is extremely dependent on context for interpretation.

"Aunt instructed me on the special rules that govern nu shu. It can be used to write letters, songs, autobiographies, lessons on womanly duties, prayers to the goddess, and, of course, popular stories. It can be written with brush and ink on paper or on a fan; it can be embroidered onto a handkerchief or woven into cloth. It can and should be sung before an audience of other women and girls, but it can also be something that is read and treasured alone. But the two most important rules are these: Men must never know that it exists, and men must not touch it in any form."

Obviously, the language is no longer secret. In fact, it fell into disuse following the Cultural Revolution until it was revived in the 1980s following the publication of a government report detailing the language. Only some of the characters survived, but classes teaching the skill have recently emerged within the country. Lisa See’s novel is one of a growing number of resources about nu shu. While the language plays a significant role, See weaves a beautiful tale around the secret characters. It is as much a study of Chinese traditions as it is a history lesson.

Lily is the daughter of a farmer in a fairly remote region of China. As her footbinding time nears, she is fortunate to be noticed by a prominent matchmaker as having the potential for perfectly-shaped feet. Because of this gift, Lily is afforded a luxury rarely granted to a girl of her social class; she is paired with a laotong, an "old same," a girl whose characteristics are very similar to her own. Together, they will sign a contract binding them to a special sort of sisterhood. Unlike most women, their relationship will not dissolve with marriage. Beginning with their matching footbindings, Lily and Snow Flower form a life-long bond.

Snow Flower is from the city; her family is purported to have wealth and power. Lily often feels inferior to her laotong, envisioning a palatial home filled with silks and servants. Their semi-annual visits consist of trips to the city, or Snow Flower visits Lily’s home. Lily is never invited to her old same’s home; she supposes that it is because her kind friend doesn’t want her to feel uncomfortable among such splendor.

See traces the two friends through decades of experiences. Her writing sometimes leaps across years with a single sentence. She focuses more on special events and the women’s preparations for them than on their daily living. Life for Chinese women is marked by these crucial events: footbinding (which See describes with excruciating details—it’s as if she knew of their pain firsthand), betrothal, marriage, childbirth, death. Snow Flower and Lily are lucky enough to be encouraged to share these events with each other; many women suffer or celebrate in silence. Their main method of communication is nu shu.

The pleats of the fan that Snow Flower sent Lily with the first of many nu shu messages welcoming her into their bond eventually became covered with the tiny notations marking their feelings about these special events. Unfortunately, the contextual nature of nu shu can be misconstrued. It is here that See’s novel takes a terrible twist.

Lisa See’s story is a moving rendition of the very special bonds women have had throughout the centuries. Readers will find themselves as protective of the language as they are of the friendship.