It was American writer, botanist and longtime resident of Yunnan Joseph Rock who once wrote that the last peaceful place on the planet, the last place where war has never existed, where people live in harmony, is Lugu Lake. The lake is home to the Mosuo minority, one of China's 56 ethnic groups, hidden in the shadows of the Xiaoliang Mountains. Twenty - or even ten - years ago, the average Chinese would have had little desire to visit the remote area, bordering Sichuan and Yunnan. But in recent years, the lake has seen an influx in tourists, enduring tenuous train trips and bus rides for a glimpse at this unique matriarchal culture. And its famous selling point: zouhun (走婚).

The Allure of Zouhun

Some 40,000 ethnic Mosuo live in the Lugu Lake area in Sichuan Province . Since Mosuo people are governed through a matriarchic system, people also call the Lugu Lake women's land. 　

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