The Daughter Country on the Bank of Lugu Lake In the Hengduan Mountains at the junction of Yunnan and Sichuan in southwest China, there is a beautiful plateau lake called Lugu Lake.

Around Lugu Lake, there is a special ethnic group, they call themselves the Nahe Mosuo people.

They have a strong matrilineal civilization heritage and live in warm matrilineal families.

They come from and belong to their mother.

No matter how many generations pass, Mo Ling's children will eventually return to their mother's home, ensuring that the women in the Mosuo family are the masters of the family and can exist and continue forever.

The Mosuo people and their matrilineal cultural traditions are legendary and well-known at home and abroad. They are called the "daughter country of the East" by the outside world.

First time experiencing Mosuo.

In mid-spring this year, this is my fifth time to go to Lugu Lake.

I recall that the first time I went to Lugu Lake was in the early spring of 1992. Before Lugu Lake was officially opened to the public for tourism, the Propaganda Department of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee organized a propaganda group to go to rural areas to preach the No. 1 Central Document.

Before departure, the leader told the comrades of our publicity team: Lugu Lake has beautiful natural scenery and unique ethnic customs.

You must respect the religious beliefs and folk customs of the Mosuo people.

At the same time, in some places, cameras are not allowed to be taken without the consent of local cadres and the masses.

We went to Lugu Lake with admiration and awe.

At that time, there was a secondary highway from Kunming to Lijiang, and a dirt road from Lijiang to Ninglang. The mountains were high, the slopes were steep, and the bay was narrow.

It took five days to go to Lugu Lake by car.

We walked along the mountain road by the lake, and the caravan kept making noise, as if we had entered ancient times.

At that time, there were only one or two hotels near the lake, and there was no electricity in the countryside.

At night, we stayed in the reception room of the Yongning Township Government and slept on wooden beds covered with military quilts.

We arranged for our village propaganda team to go to surrounding farmers’ homes to preach to the masses.

I remember that at a farmer's house in Xiaoluoshui Village, there were adults, children, and elderly women. More than 10 people were sitting around the fire pit. The fire was very weak.

The township cadre who accompanied us said that this old lady was the old lady in the family, with dark and shiny skin, and warmly greeted us to sit down.

Because of the mountain barrier, few people came to listen to the lectures, and they spoke very little.

The local cadres translated what we said to the villagers sentence by sentence.

The old grandmother said: We have lived here for generations.

Now that the party's policies have improved, our lives are much better, with kind smiles on our faces.

Mosuo people generally live in courtyard houses.

Grandma's house, Tang Jing, flower building, thatched building.

Grandma's house is the core of the family, with a zigzag plan and square walls.

Grandma's house is supported by two pillars, the male pillar and the female pillar.

The male and female pillars must come from the same tree.

In the last section, the male column and the female column are tied.

The male pillar and the female pillar symbolize brothers and sisters in the family, who share the same origin and will never be separated.

Grandma's house is the place where family members live and die, and important ceremonies are held. It is also the place where the whole family eats, lives, discusses affairs, and entertains guests.

The hall is the most sacred place in Mosuo families and the tallest building in all houses.

The thatched building is the residence of men. The ground floor is the stockyard and the upper floor is the building where straw is piled.

When a man is not married, it is the bedroom.

The building opposite the old lady is called the Flower House, and the Mosuo people call it "Nizhay", which means double-story.

There are farm tools downstairs, and upstairs is the bedroom where adult women get married.

I was curious to see the flower house and wanted to know more about the custom of walking marriage.

Township cadres said: Mosuo people like Mosuo women, and the men ask matchmakers to bring gifts such as dresses, belts, shoes, tobacco, alcohol, and tea.

Go to the woman's house and propose to the woman's mother.

Men cannot go along, and mothers can accept gifts with their daughter's consent.

Also a pair of linen trousers and a linen belt made for my daughter.

This process is called "Zuo Zuo Ga", which means exchanging tokens.

At the same time, the woman should distribute the gifts brought by the man to people in the same village and relatives, indicating that her daughter already has "Axia".

On the night of the first visit, the woman's mother and sister sent the man to the woman's flower house, Ah Xi. There is another way of getting married among the Mosuo people, which is for a man and a woman to be engaged and married privately, which is free love.

In daily interactions, Mosuo men and women love each other and secretly exchange jewelry and rings.

As a token, establish a relationship with "Axia" and visit secretly behind other people's backs.

If you want to maintain this non-traditional way, you must establish the "Axia" relationship through the "Zuo Zuoga" ceremony, so that the marriage will be recognized by both families, otherwise it will not be recognized by the family and society.

Because the walking marriage of the Mosuo people does not involve relationships with other family members, there is no property dispute.

Regardless of whether they are men or women, it is entirely based on emotion and is rarely hindered or interfered by family.

It can be called the purest love and marriage in the world.

There are many rituals in the life of the Mosuo people, but there are only three in individual life, namely birthday ceremony, passage ceremony and funeral ceremony.

These are the three most important rituals in their lives.

The three rituals are very solemn, and Daba or lamas will be present to do things.

A birthday ceremony will be held on the day the child is born or the next day, and a naming event will be held at the same time. The Daba will preside over and name the child.

The Mosuo coming-of-age ceremony is held when Mosuo children turn 13, marking their growth.

Thereafter, as adults, they participated in productive labor and social activities.

Coming-of-age ceremonies are usually held during the Spring Festival.

The elders performed the ceremony.

During the ceremony, the Daba or lama chants and the boys and girls step on the food bags and pig fat, which means the warehouse is full of food.

Livestock is prosperous, and everyone in Mosuo has loquat meat, also known as pig fat, which does not rot for several years, is fragrant with cinnamon, and is fat but not greasy.

Pig fat is not only a Mosuo delicacy, but also a symbol of Mosuo women's hard work in housekeeping and wealth.

It was the fifth time to experience this magical scene.