The Tribe of Nocturnal Liaisons in China

In the Mosuo tribe of China, men are voiceless, do not engage in child-rearing, and are devoid of decision-making power in life. 

Exploring China's Mosuo Tribe: Unraveling the Enigma of One-Night Love Affairs

Mosuo, an ancient Buddhist tribe in Yunnan Province, lies in the southwestern valley of China, near the eastern foothills of the Himalayas. Here, a matriarchal system prevails, where men are undervalued, and women are the heads of households. Both men and women are free to have as many partners as they desire without fearing societal judgment.

Mosuo individuals often engage in fleeting romances. In this scenario, a man visits a woman's home at night and hangs his hat outside the door to signal others. While these relationships can range from one night to long-term, they never involve cohabitation or lifelong commitment. For Mosuo women, men resemble “voluntary sperm donors,” as described by The Guardian.

Choo Waihong, a lawyer who took a sabbatical from Singapore in 2006 to embark on a global journey. After reading about the Mosuo, she resolved to seek out the tribe. Instead of solely focusing on the picturesque villages around the renowned Lugu Lake, Waihong stumbled upon something even more novel.

“I grew up in a world where men ruled,” shared Waihong. “Because of that, my father and I argued a lot. But Mosuo society is different. It's an inspiration for women like me.”

In just a few days living with the tribe, Waihong quickly discovered that Mosuo children only live with their grandmother, mother, aunt, or sister. To outsiders, this may seem like a land of single mothers. However, Mosuo believe that marriage is unnecessary. A child is “fatherless” simply because Mosuo do not care who the father is. “The nuclear family we see outside actually exists in Mosuo, just in a different form,” Waihong revealed.

In Mosuo, women own and inherit property, land, raise and care for children. Men engage in heavy work such as farming, construction, house repairs, animal slaughter, implement decisions of the “tribal grandmother,” and care for grandchildren within the lineage.

However, there has been a change since Chinese tourists flooded into Mosuo villages from the 1990s. They built roads, airports, hotels, creating job opportunities for Mosuo, causing the tribe's traditional way of life to become lost among the younger generation. Girls started marrying outsiders, living with husbands and sons, rather than staying at their maternal homes as before.

“Thanks to tourism, the mindset of the Mosuo has become more open, but the girls still know they have the hands of their grandmother, mother to protect them every time they return home,” said Waihong.

According to Vnexpress

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Reference: Travel Guide by Mytour