The Shui script is the generic term for ancient characters and books of the Shui minority. It is ancient character symbols that resemble oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, recording ancient cultural information such as astronomy, folklore, ethnics, philosophy, aesthetics, law of the Shui minority, and so on. Thus it is acclaimed as the "living fossil" of pictographic characters, constituting the last unexplored territory of pictographic characters.
The Shui script covers celestial stems, terrestrial branches, eight diagram, astronomical phenomena, seasons and solar terms, birds, beasts, fish and insects, body and facial organs, kinsfolk appellation, numbers and directions, etc. Records of such characters can be found in local records of Duyun and Sandu counties. The Shui script is written in a very old style that bears a strong resemblance to oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty and looks like Zhou (a style of Chinese calligraphy) and seal script. In early transcripts, the Shui script is written in ink with bamboo tip, while in recent transcripts, it is written with Chinese writing brush. Some are schematic representations, and some are upside-down, tilted or reversed regular scripts. Some confidential characters are written by shamans for specific reasons, and these are called "reversed writing" and "confidential characters".
The Shui script mostly records dates, orientation, signs of good or ill luck and protection methods against evil spirits that are related to primitive religions. It generally tells when is appropriate or inappropriate for doing something by traditional Chinese means, and indicates whether something is auspicious or ominous by formulas in rhymes or signs of things, so the Shui script is mostly a tool for shamans in practice of religious rites. As the Shui people have a sincere commitment to spirits, the Shui script is widely used. Its special function has promoted the circulation of the Shui's worship of spirits for generations. Besides abundant information about primitive religions, the Shui script also preserves documents about astronomical phenomena, calendar, and ancient Shui characters. These documents about astronomical phenomena and calendar are extremely precious historical and cultural heritage. Some basic theories, such as nine stars and 28 mansions, are the quintessence of wisdom and art of the ancestors of the Shui minority,
