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Lugu Lake and Mosuo People

Lugu Lake is an alpine Lake located among the mountains of Ninglang County about 200km away from Lijiang in Yunnan Province of Southwest China. This lofty lake straddles the border between Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces. The lake’s shores are inhabited by Mosuo People who had been practicing a matrilineal culture for centuries, Mosuo women had been the head of the household, the property is passed down through the female bloodline, and more importantly, women choose their sexual partners without obligations of long term commitment. Mosuo women are regarded as the true guardian of Lugu Lake and the people of Mosuo because they assigned all the men to look after their niblings while they run their society. But in the last 20 years, their stability has gradually crumbling. As with many first nation communities around the world, the opportunity to make money from tourism has come at a price. By opening up their culture to visitors, it is gradually eroding. Today, the younger Mosuo generations have already begun abandoning traditions as the modern world encroaches into their society. In recent years, the government has heavily invested in tourism infrastructure to bridge the Mosuo with the rest of the world.