A Study of Changes in Mosuo Marriage and Family in a Multi-Ethnic Mixed-Residence Area: The Case of Liaobie Village, Cuiyu Township, Ninglang County, Yunnan Province
This article examines marriage and family transformation among the Mosuo people in Liaobie Village, Cuiyu Township, Ninglang County, Yunnan—a multi-ethnic settlement comprising six ethnic groups, where Mosuo households practicing "azhu" (walking marriage) constitute 42.4% of the population. Based on field surveys, particularly a detailed 2008 census of 59 married Mosuo individuals, the study traces the shift from matrilineal extended families practicing azhu visiting marriage toward patrilineal nuclear families based on monogamous marriage. The author identifies an intermediate form—azhu cohabiting marriage—combining matrilineal and patrilineal features, as a transitional stage. The research argues that this marital transformation represents an autonomous, self-conscious, and irreversible internal choice by the Mosuo themselves, driven by increased population mobility and cultural contact, rather than external imposition. Despite formal changes in marriage structure, the study concludes that the core spiritual essence of Mosuo matrilineal marriage-family culture persists and continues within the new marital forms.
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