Guizhou's Sui literature included in UNESCO program

Sui language is one of the few pictographs still in use in the world. [Photo provided by Qiannan Archive Center]

Literature written in the Sui language from Qiannan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture, Southwest China's Guizhou province, was recently included by the Memory of the World Program, which was established by UNESCO in 1992.

The Sui language of the Sui ethnic group is one of the few pictographs still in use in the world. The literature preserves rich and ancient cultural information, which is of great value and significance to the study of the origin and formation of early human civilizations.

For the past 20 years, as the Sui literature is explored and sorted, its value has attracted the attention of domestic and international experts. Qiannan has carried out the rescue, sorting, protection and inheritance of these items, as well as applied for the Memory of the World Program.

Currently, the Qiannan Archive Center has 17,914 pieces of Sui literature and 20 audio files, 79 of which were selected to be part of the national list of precious ancient books.

The archive centers in Qiannan prefecture and Qiannan's Sandu and Libo counties have established archive resource databases to digitalize the Sui literature.

After being selected into the Memory of the World Program, Sui literature will raise public awareness of the Sui language and Sui culture preservation. It will also help in expanding international awareness, according to Qiannan Archive Center's curator, Ge Mingyi.