Lugu Lake: Land of Mosuo customs

There's a traditional American saying "different strokes for different folks" which indicates that different cultures have different customs. Here are some unusual customs of the Mosuo people:

Waling marriage custom (zou hun)

Lugu Lake, known as the women's kingdom, is famous for its unique matriarchal culture. Walking marriage is a traditional custom in which lovers don't legally get married. Instead, a woman will give a handmade scarf to her sweetheart as a gift and a signal of her love. When night falls, a young man climbs into his lover's room through the window and has to leave before dawn.

Born and die in the side room

Side rooms have played a fairly important role in the Mosuo culture. Mosuo people give birth to babies in the side rooms and they will also go back to the side rooms when they are close to death. According to the Mosuo culture, side rooms mark the boundary of life and death. The doors of side rooms are generally closed and these rooms are just like a mystery for others.

Grandmothers are the head of the house

In Mosuo families, grandmothers are in charge and mothers are responsible for taking care of the money while uncles are responsible for teaching kids the skills of living and working practices.

Mosuo people live around Lugu Lake in a "women's world", the only surviving matrilineal community in China [Photo/China Daily]