China's lost horizons As the Olympic Games were about to unfold, Charles Mifsud travelled to the Southwest of China and found a matriarchal society and colourful ethnic groups.
The early morning mist settled on the lake. Suddenly the crackle of fireworks broke the drowsy silence, following by the sound of women crying.
I later learned that the fireworks and weeping women in the villages were an old ritual still practised by the Mosuo people who live in Lugu Lake in Southwest China.
The fireworks signal the passing away of a man and all the villages reciprocate the relatives’ grief through their cries.
The Mosuo people believe the spirits of their ancestors roam the mountains after death and they still deposit food for them in wooden cabins.
Lugu Lake is situated at the junction of Southwest Sichuan and Northwest Yunnan at about 2,685m altitude. The trip is a difficult one, a point hammered into my spine during a jostling eight-hour bus ride from Lijiang. The winding road is carved deep into the mountains and is often blocked by mud and stones from landslides during this rainy season.
Yet all the hardships of the trip are forgotten when you get to the lake. Crystal clear waters nestle between lovely mountains. The clouds hover low, partially concealing the glittering tops. The waters are sprinkled with white flowers, perhaps a gift from the gods to perfect the beauty of this lake.
Every corner of the lake has some story or myth attached to it, often captured in the songs of the local people.
I had the opportunity to share a cabin with a Mousou family. One morning a local fisherman invited me to go fishing with him. After 30 minutes of strenuous paddling in a wooden canoe, we cast our nets. Soon shimmering silvery fish were flopping in a futile struggle with the net.
But the real treasure of this lake is the people. The Mosuo ethnic group are based on a matriarchal society. Children grow up with their mother and inherit her surname, not their father’s.
As the Olympic Games were about to unfold, Charles Mifsud travelled to the Southwest of China and found a matriarchal society and colourful ethnic groups.
