October 1995 In some parts of China girls are killed at birth but in the land the Chinese call the 'kingdom of daughters' womanhood is celebrated. High in the breathtaking mountains of south-western China, live the Mosuo tribe. The Mosuo maintain a society which is probably unique in the world. It revolves completely around women. Property is handed down from mother to daughter. In their language there is not even a word for 'father' and conventional marriage is unheard of. In the past the Chinese government tried to stamp out the Mosuo way of life but their culture is now flourishing again. The simple reason is tourism. The Mosuo live beside a beautiful lake, already a popular destination for Chinese tourists. But whether the culture survives remains to be seen - new-found prosperity and contact with outsiders has bought with it a clamour for a change for the Mosuo.

Ein viel zu kurzer Beitrag. Danke Hannelore für das Einbinden des Videos bei http://rette-sich-wer-kann.com """"Anmerkungen zum Mosuo-Film: Männer gehorchen ist westliche Interpretation, da es das Wort gehorchen in den Mosuo-Sprachen nicht gibt. Was hier als gehorchen bezeichnet wird, ist das Hand-in-Hand arbeiten der Männer mit den Frauen in allen Bereichen, das in hierarchischen Gesellschaften mit strenger Rollenverteilung nicht vorkommt. Wir haben keine eigenen Begriffe für diese Art der Zusammenarbeit in Stämmen und Clans.""""

DVD of this documentary is now available at: http://butterflybutterfly.info/mosuo_song_journey/?page_id=96 Title: Mosuo Song Journey Running Time: 37 min Director, Videography & Editor: Diedie Weng Producer: Diedie Weng, Carol Bliss Year: 2007 Synopsis: In the summer of 2004, Chinese filmmaker, Diedie Weng, followed American scholar, Carol Bliss, and Mosuo writer, Lamu Gatusa, to collect traditional Mosuo folk songs for Carol's research. From touristic Mosuo villages to remote Mosuo mountain villages, "Mosuo Song Journey" presents a personal journey resonating with the singing of different generations of Mosuo people in a transitional period of their life under the influence of tourism, pop culture and education. Surrounded by mountains, on the border between Yunnan and Sichuan Province in Southwest China, the Mosuo people live on the banks of Lugu Lake. For over a thousand years, many Mosuo people have kept a Matrilineal tradition, in which women head the household. Mosuo sisters and brothers live in the family organized by the bloodline of their mothers. Within this unique background, the Mosuo have been encouraged by the state to develop tourism since the early 1990's. As a result, Mosuo society has started opening to the world and attracting increasing worldwide attention as "A Kingdom of Goddesses" from both tourists and scholars. Screening and Distribution: * Apr. 2008 Squeaky Wheel Screening, Buffalo, NY * Apr. 2008 Asia Catalyst Screening, Columbia University, NYC. * Mar. 2008 Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Society for Ethnomusicology Annual Conference, Columbia University, NYC * Nov.2007 Society of Visual Anthropology/American Association of Anthropology Film Festival,Washington D.C. * Nov. 2007 Library of Congress Chinese Table Event, Washington D.C. * Nov. 2007 "World Music Program," Link TV National Network, US. * Nov.2007 4th Annual Austin Asian Film Festival. Austin, Texas. * Spt.2007 Selection for Rural China Education Foundation "Care Package" for rural teachers * Aug.2007 Urban Leadership Cohort, Claremont Graduate University, CA * Jul.2007 "Cultural Studies" Graduate Course Screening, Claremont Graduate University, CA * Jul.2007 "Intercultural Experience" Graduate Course Screening, the University of La Verne, CA * Mar. 2007 Rural China Education Foundation Retreat, NY About the Filmmaker: Diedie Weng: I was born in a village near the seaside city Zhanjiang in Guangdong Province, Southeastern China. When I was three, my parents moved to Zhanjiang. I lived there until I went to university. I majored in journalism for my undergraduate study and traveled extensively in China through doing news reporting or assisting international scholars in their research projects in China. "Mosuo Song Journey" started my first excursion into documentary production. I am particularly interested in the personal struggles that cultural groups or individuals face when they live across different cultures in a transitional period of their lives. I enjoy my own independent documentary production. But I have also worked as a videographer as well as a research and production assistant for international TV production projects among China, UK and US. At the same time, my experiences with different communities in media production have sparked my interest in community media, especially in youth media making programs. I have taught video making, art and community research classes to children in rural China and different cities in the US. I have always been intrigued by how artistic teaching and learning in a community surrounding inspired personal growth within my students and myself. Now I am pursuing my MFA study in film and video production in the Media Study Department in the State University of New York at Buffalo.

A few scenes from the village of Wenquan (Hot Springs) near Lugu Lake in Yunnan province, China. The people are Yi and Mosuo villagers. You can find out more at my blog drjosephrock.blogspot.com

Chinese Dance.

this is the video given to tourists (on mini-cd) visiting lugu lake when they buy the park entrance ticket, please pardon the opening ad

Drinking Mosuo special alcohol at Lugu lake, Yunnan, China

mosuo is an ethnic group in china

Chaque soir les Mosuos organisent une fêtes pour montrer leurs cdanses et leurs chants aux curieux chinois

瀘沽湖摩梭族男女跳舞 Mosuo Girls & Boys Dancing, Luguhu (1)

Un vieil homme vient de mourir dans la ville de Yongning, une cérémonie a lieu avant qu'il ne soit bruler.

MoSuo(摩梭) folk dance from Lake LuGu,Yunnan, China

LuGu Lake, a beautiful name with the mysterious people living aroud the lake.

les Lamas prant pour le defunt

瀘沽湖摩梭族男女跳舞 Mosuo Girls & Boys Dancing, Luguhu (2)

July 1998 This stunning film captures the beauty and rarity of the Mosuo women - a matriarchal community in south-west China. The bashful Mosuo have been dominated by women for more than 2,000 years. In the Mosuo language, the word 'father' does not even exist. Yashima is a typical matriarch. At 65, she has five children, two grandchildren and smokes 80 cigarettes a day. Her children meet their husbands at the end of the day. 'That way we don't argue' explains Dizhi. Parties are for meeting a husband or a wife. Swirling skirts, flames and dancing stir aching hearts. The Mosuo people, like most Chinese, are shy about showing their feelings. They have three sacred taboos: it's forbidden to eat dog, it's forbidden to eat cat and it's forbidden to talk about sex. But overcoming their shyness, they tell us about love, marriage, divorce and the difficulties of living apart. The modern world is not far away though. Peking's family planning policy is dismembering Mosuo culture where large families are society's glue. The local government wants to transform Lake Lugu, in China, into a tourist site, with the Mosuo people as the main attraction. Some already earn money from the summer visitors that they take in canoe trips on the lake. Whilst most Mosuo view change as inevitable, there's more than a hint of sadness that the future may spell the end of their centuries-old traditions. A unique and touching film.

Yunnan province is the most biodiverse and beautiful province in China. It has half of all plant and animal species found in China and 52 of the remaining 56 ethnic minorities in the country. In this clip Manchán meet the O-Er-Do-Ju family in Lugu Lake, North West of Lijiang in Yunnan. He is accompanied by Miss Lu, a foreign affairs official. The father of the family sits at his mother's fireside and explains the Mosu system of family, in which the woman has complete control. He then brings up to meet his father who was a Buddhist monk until the monastary was shut down under Mao. He is now free to practise again. He gives Manchán a message to bring home to the West with him. The singers on the mountain are members of the Naxi minority and live near Lijiang. Manchán Magan, Global Nomad Films. www.manchan.com

About Lugu Lake: The Lugu Lake is one of the most beautiful and romantic places in China. Three different cultures meet here. These cultures are Tibetan culture, Naxi culture and Yi culture. The costume of local Mosuo people is similar to that of Naxi people; the local temple is similar to that of Tibetan people; the local food & housewares are similar to those of Yi people. The scene is breathtaking and stunning, very beautiful. I must travel there one day. About Axia Group: This group consists of three ethnic Yi Chinese singers. This song talks about Axia marriage (or walking marriage), a unique tradition of Mosuo people living near the Lugu lake. (see: http://i-view.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!285174C23D9AC89E!1428.entry) 阿夏组合 - 阿夏之恋 (泸沽湖边上的摩梭爱情) 阿夏組合 - 阿夏之戀 (瀘沽湖邊上的摩梭愛情)

It is the native place of "The Females' Kingdom" composed of the Mosuo people, a branch of the Naxi nationality. "Lugu" means "falling into the water" in the Mosuo language ("hu" means lake in Chinese.) Hence the name of the lake.The shores of the Lugu lake is inhabited by the Mosuo people who have peculiar customs and ways, up to now still retaining remnants of matriarchal society. Men and women are not united by wedlock, each living at the mother's home respectively, yet keeping a casual cohabitation relationship. Thus the place is called "A Quaint Realm of Matriarchy"

Girls' Country女儿国（Mosuo摩梭 and Naxi纳西 3ethnic group dance)

Documentaire sur une famille mosuo, en Chine

baby ducks & chicks feeding location: a mosuo village at Lugu lake

Yanxiumeiajioma est une jeune fille Mosuo de 9 ans, qui ramasse des herbe pourles cochons

A few scenes from the village of Wenquan (Hot Springs) near Lugu Lake in Yunnan province, China. The people are Yi and Mosuo villagers. You can find out more at my blog drjosephrock.blogspot.com

The Nakhi (Chinese: 纳西族; pinyin: Nàxī Zú) are an ethnic group inhabiting the foothills of the Himalayas in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province, as well as the southwestern part of Sichuan Province in China. The Nakhi form one of the fifty-six ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. The official Chinese government classification classes the Mosuo as part of the Nakhi people. However, despite similar origins and very striking resemblances from a linguistic point of view, the two groups are now culturally distinct, the Nakhi more influenced by Han Chinese culture, the Mosuo more influenced by Tibetan culture.