The Lugu Lake is located at the border of Sichuan and Yunnan Province. It is 72km north of Ninglang Town and is also under the control of both provinces. The lake is 2685 meters above the sea level and has an area of 48.5 square kilometers. The deepest end of the lake is about 93.5 meters. The beauty of the lake with its surrounding breath-taking scenery makes this lake an excellent tourist resort. The Moshuo people are the main inhabitants in this place. This minority group is considered to be a sub clan of Naxi people. They still hold on to their traditional matriarchal society where the inheritance is pass on to the women only. Hence this area is also known as the "The Last Girls Empire".
In every family, the women make all the important decisions. The children are raise up by the women based on their matriarchal tradition.. When the youth have gone through the Maturity ceremony at the age of 13, they can then be permitted to look for their own "Axias", which means lover in the Muoshuo language. In this Axia relationship, the couple need not go through any form of official marriage procedure. After the Axia relationship is established, the male Axia has to pay a visit to the girl at night. This kind of relationship can last as short as several months, or as long as several years or even decades. Axias are not economically depend on each other. Instead of living together, they can live permanently with their own mother, siblings or their maternal aunts or uncles.
|
