Lugu Lake is between Ninglang Yi Prefecture of Yunnan Province and Yanyuan County of Sichuan Province. As a famous lake on the plateau, it covers an area of 51.8 square meters, and is 2,680 meters above sea level.

It is abundant in fish, including carp, thin-scale fish, and Lugu belly-split fish, among others.

On the lakeside lives a special minority group known as the Mosuo, a rare group who still carry on a matriarchal clan system. Their unique Axia marriage system (visiting marriage) and primitive folk customs add mysterious and splendid color to the ancient land reputed as a mysterious oriental daughters' kingdom.

The lake attracts numerous tourists from home and abroad with its beautiful scenery, primitive and mysterious culture, ancient religious customs, and elegant folk dances.

After the "daughters' kingdom" had remained hidden deeply in the mountains for many years finally uncovered its veiled face, the Mosuo people started to face up to the commercial economic tide outside the mountains. Visitors came to the village and broke down the past tranquility of the people, transforming the once peaceful area into a a place where villagers began running family hotels and restaurants.

Following this, the lake's water quality began to worsen, and some sections became turbid, with the lake's ecology badly affected. Continued development will have dire consequences.

 Disorder: Lake "killer"

Lugu is the only one of the nine key protected plateau lakes in Yunnan, in which the water quality is kept at Class One. Tourism started in 1992. For a long time, the tourist industry has been spontaneously developing with 89 private-run family-style hotels, 1,689 guest rooms, and 3,409 beds in the scenic area. To find good business sites, villagers have built by the lakeside, or even filled in the lake to construct houses. The water has been polluted by waste directly or indirectly discharged into the lake so three kinds of fish are on the verge of extinction.

"Lugu Lake serves as both a community and scenic area. And lake residents' businesses, lives and their use of resources cause problems to the environment. With the development of tourism, there is more pressure on the environment. And there will be a threat to the Mosuo culture due to outside impacts", Yu Lijun, director with the Lugu Lake Administrative Committee, told a reporter.

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