摩梭族：泸沽湖畔，千年传承
The Mosuo people are an ethnic group living at the border of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. For centuries they have lived near the Lugu Lake, which lies at 2,700m above sea level. Mosuo people live together in beautiful mountain villages filled with wooden homes, and they keep many unique customs, not found anywhere else in the world.
One of the most special cultural traditions is zouhun or “walking marriages”. After they are accepted as adults, usually at the age of 13, Mosuo females can choose their own lover. During the “marriage”, the woman invites the man to visit her home, and he stays the night in a “flower room”, leaving in the early morning to return to his own home. Couples do not live together. Babies are brought up in the female’s family, with brothers and uncles providing the father’s role.
▲ Traditionally, Mosuo men are often away from the village, travelling in trade carts to sell local produce. They also have to do the work of house building and fishing, as well as the killing of animals such as chickens and ducks. Most importantly, while men don’t need to take care of their own children, it’s their duty to make money to raise their sisters’ children living in their own families.