Mosuo Folk Museum in Lijiang

Chinese Name:摩梭民俗博物馆
English Name: Mosuo Folk Museum in Lijiang
Chinese Pinying: Mo Suo Min Su Bo Wu Guan
Location: in the Luguhu Lake, Ninglang County, Lijiang City, Yunnan
Opening Hours:8:00~18:00
Altitude: about 2690 meters
Best Seasons: all year round, especially from May to November when the flowers blossom
Recommended Visiting Time: about 2 hours

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Mosuo Folk Museum

The Mosuo Folk Museum is located in Luoshui Village, Ninglang Autonomous County, Lijiang City, Yunnan. It was founded by the village’s villager Wengjici Erqing and his friend Ruheng Ciren Duojie, the only museum in China that reflects the folklore of the matriarchal clan. Mosuo Folk Museum has a large-scale exhibition hall with the theme of flower garden, grandmother’s house, classic hall, cultural relics, photo materials and world intangible cultural heritage. Folklore show of “walking wedding and climbing flower building” that millions of tourists love.

In order to show the authentic Mosuo culture and its development history to the outside world, let everyone know about a real Mosuo and let the Mosuo traditional culture pass on. Since 1998, Erqing and Ciren Duojie collected the Mosuo people’ living production, the items used in life, photographing photos of everyday life,which founded the Mosuo Folk Museum on the basis of a simple showroom. On the basis of the flower house, grandmother’s room, Daba Pavilion, clothing hall, lama hall, folk exhibition hall, photo exhibition hall, and tea-horse ancient pavilion, food halls, Mosuo celebrities, film exhibition halls, real people show labor workshops, etc. 

Visiting marriage is a unique type of marriage of Mosuo people, which is also called ‘Axia’ or ‘Azhu’ conjugal relations. It is quite special in which a man does not take a woman as his wife and a woman does not marry off. When a man and a woman fall in love with each other, they become ‘Axia’. The man will go to the woman’s house at night and return home next morning and work, live in mother’ house. They do not establish a common family and has no common economic relationship. Children are taken care of by the maternal family and follow the kinship of mother.

The most proud of the Mosuo people is not how many people have gone, but there is no property dispute between them except for feelings. The Mosuo people usually live in old houses, not separated, so they don’t bother to build new houses. Because the man only lives in his own home, the child is raised by the woman, the man raises his sister’s child as a sly, and the money is distributed to the grandmother, and everyone works together to maintain a big family. There are no third parties, lovers, or illegitimate children in their dictionary.

It was a black-and-white house on the first floor with no windows at all. It was indeed the center of the whole family. There are three things: the big bed where the old grandmother sleeps, the fire pot that does not die, and the life and death door. Under the grandmother’s big bed is the place where the treasures of the whole family are placed， the fire pit is not extinguished 365 days a year, respecting the gods, boiling water, cooking rice, and heating. On the left and right sides are the seats of the old grandmother and the big sister, and the family is seated， the life and death gate, the women are produced in the door, and the family died in the dead.

How to get to Lugu Lake

Lugu Lake is located on the border of Yunnan and Sichuan, so travelers can visit Lugu Lake from Yunnan or from Sichuan. At present, there are three highway leading to Lugu Lake, one is from Xichang (Sichuan) to Lugu Lake for 258 kilometers, one is from Panzhihua to Lugu Lake for 220 kilometers and the third is from Lijiang to Lugu Lake for 230 kilometers.

Luguhu Airport, opended in October 2015, has limited flights from/to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. The airport is about 25 kilometers from Lugu Lake with airport shuttle linked each other.

1. From Lijiang:
1) Transport Service Center Bus Station to Daluoshui Village:
Departure Time: 09:00, 10:00.
Ticket Price: CNY 65
Duration: around 7 hours
2) Take tourist bus arranged by local travel agencies:
Departure Time: unfixed
Ticket Price: CNY 140 to 200 for a round-trip
Duration: around 7 hours
Notice:
1). Departure time is changeable. Usually, the bus driver informs the tourists of departure time and pick-up location in advance.  
2). Most hostels help their guests to book the bus tickets. Visitors can ask the hostel owners if they provide this service. The reservation should be made one day in advance.
3). Visitors who take tourist bus might be arranged to go shopping, visit a Mosuo family, go boating or take part in a bonfire party. Undoubtedly, they need to pay extra money for these activities.

2. From Xichang, Sichuan Province: 
1). Take regular bus from Xichang Tourist Transport Center Bus Station to Lugu LakeTown (also called Zuosuo Town).
Departure Time: 08:10, 09:30
Ticket Price: CNY 95
Duration: 7 to 8 hours
2). Take regular bus from Xichang to Yanyuan, change bus to Zuosuo Town.
 

Notice:
1). Lugu lake is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from Lugu Lake Town. After arriving in the town, visitors need to charter a car to reach the village where they plan to stay. The fare is around CNY 20 to 40.  
2). Bus schedules and ticket prices might be adjusted without prior notice.
3). Extra buses from Xichang to Lugu Lake Town will be provided during the high season (May to October).
4). Visitors are suggested to buy return bus tickets upon arrival in case the tickets are sold out quickly.

Recommended Tour with Lugu Lake

2 Days Lijiang Lugu Lake Tour and Matriarchal Society Discovery

Best Time to Visit Lugu Lake

Lugu Lake is surprising beautiful place which can be visited all year round. Flowers are blossom in different season, presenting you a charming painting scenery. The best time to visit Lugu Lake is from March to November and as for photographers, come from March to May and September to October that you will shoot brilliant pictures.

Spring: it is a land of idyllic beauty – emerald lake like a clear mirror with the surrounding peach flowers and pear flowers blossom happily, mountains reflecting in water, boats sailing quietly on the tranquil lake…
Summer: it is a summer resort – pleasant and cool weather with gentle breezes blowing, mist floating in the midair after rainy, azalea in pink and white blossom in the mountain…
Autumn: it is a fairyland as beautiful as Jiuzhaigou – the surrounded mountains turn into a red and golden world with leaves changing, the glittering lake, the gorgeous sunglow, geese chirping in the sky that you can image how beautiful the scene is.
Winter: it is a world of waterfowl – different kinds of wild ducks playing on the water.

If you interested in the grandest festival of Mosuo people, come to the lunar July 25 that you can see Mosuo people dressed in traditional festival to pay a worship to Gemu Goddess Mountain.

Luguhu Lake Accommodation

In the Lugu Lake tourist area, there are more than 400 hotels and rooms ranging from inns and guesthouses to five-star hotels. The accommodations are mainly located in Caohai village, Dazshui village, Sanjia village, Lige village and Dazui village. If you have a fixed budget, it is recommended to live in local dwellings and experience local Mosuo’s customs. Here we list some of the accommodations for your reference.

Useful Travel Tips

1. What to Pack

Lugu Lake is situated at 2690 meters high and ultraviolet ray is strong. The lowest temperature is 4 ℃ and the highest temperature is around 19 ℃ and the rainy months are from June to August. Sun-blocking scream and sunglasses are needed in four seasons. When visit in Summer, bring a light jacket and umbrella.

2. Accommodation

You are guaranteed to enjoy comfortable stay when visiting Lugu Lake. You can choose your accommodation from luxury hotels to budget but featured hostels. All the hotels and hostels are facing with Lugu Lake which means you can enjoy the lake scenery on the deck or in your room.

3. Food & Dining

Muosuo people offers you good meal and fine wine. You can try Preserved Pork, Roast Fish and Suluma Wine (low alcohol, taste sour and sweet with faint scent).

4.Be cautious about the “visiting marriage”

Know the rules and customs about “visiting marriage” and think again when someone shows his affection to you.