Soon after setting foot in the ancient town of Lijiang, on a high plateau in mountainous northwest Yunnan province, you will likely come across a large water-wheel and hear ethnic tunes, then catch sight of a group of dancers dancing in the middle of the square.
The Coming of Age Ceremony is very important for Mosuo people. It is usually held on the first day of the lunar New Year, when the kids are 13 years old.
In the old days, when a Mosuo girl turned 13, her family provided her with a windowed room on the second floor of the house, called the "flowering room".
"I don't want to marry the guys in my village, because we traditionally have a 'walking marriage'. I prefer monogamy," says Geiru Yongqing, a 19-year-old Mosuo woman in Yongning township's only remaining traditional Mosuo village, Walabie in Lijiang City, Yunnan province. Yongqing is not alone. Mosuo youngsters from the Naxi ethnic group have their own ideas about the traditions of the last matriarchal society in China.
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