We Don't All Look Alike

* Not blogging in order of pilgrimage because inspiration and genius cannot be confined to a timeline.

Yunnan, China. Part of my fascination with Yunnan is the wealth of minority tribes who live in the mountains. Due to the treacherous terrain, many of these tribes have been left alone from the numerous tyranical Chinese ruling parties (Qing - damn mongols; PRC - damn commies). Alas no one can hide from the omnipresent Chairman Mao for long and road construction in Yunnan began in the late 60s. After the 1996 earthquake, Yunnan was put on the map as a top tourist destination forever. The region however, was already steeped in local traditions, culture and history that persists even to today.

Most Chinese people (certainly anyone you know) are from the Han ethnicity. Yunnan however, is home to 56 other ethnic Chinese and over 50% of its population is non-Han. The main tribes are the Naxi, Dai, Bai and Wosu to name a few. So no, we really don't all look alike.

Each tribe has their own language, couture, religion and culture. The Naxi and the Wosu are the most interesting in that they are a matriarchal-based society meaning the women rules the roost. Children take the last name of the mother (Wosu only) and the women control the finances and makes the big decisions such as when to harvest. Words are more significant when the woman participal is added to it. The Wosu tribe has a tradition of the walking marriage in which the woman can choose the man she wants to sleep with for the night. In the morning the man is kicked out and does the ultimate walk of shame through the village. (All you women, independent, throw your hands up at me).

Naturally, with development and modernization, traditions manages to get clusterfucked and now the Naxi men are becoming lazy and sit around drinking and gambling as the women toil. The perverts from the city are journeying to Wosu territory to exploit the women in what is basically prostitution, like a two-yuan ho.