Musuo Women

There was the most amazing story on Frontline last night about Mosuo women (ethnic minority women in rural southwest China). Rarely do we see matriarchal societies, and the women in this one were strikingly happy, fit and strong--laughing, working, and dancing.

Particularly memorable was Cha Cuo, this beautiful, remarkable woman in her late 20s. Her job seemed to be rowing tourists across a lake. (It was a bit like an Alaskan bush pilot.) She was, as the Frontline web site says, "self-assured, physically strong, [and] emotionally direct..." (Yep, she's the woman we all want to be.) She has a partner, but says there are 2 things she will not do for him. One is marry him. The other is move to the city with him.

I also quite like this quote from 16-year-old La Mu, "I enjoy being a girl. Girls can do anything. Isn't that great?"

Kudos to film maker Xiaoli Zhou for giving us a fresh view of the world.

Lyrics unspooling in my head: I am on a lonely road and I am traveling / Traveling, traveling, traveling / Looking for something, what can it be...