China's Last Matriarchy: The Land Where Women Rule

[Music] we're high up in the mountains in the south west of China near the Burmese border and we're on a way to meet the masseur people who live in a remote place which is also known as the land where women rule we're gonna spend a week there to find out what life is like in one of the world's last matriarch ease [Music] the 40,000 people strong masu tribe live in the foothills of the Himalayas practice sabaton Buddhism and are most famous for the unique family structure instead of giving the responsibility of family stability to men whose tendency to go wherever their dick points can be unreliable it's the women who are in charge of the house and inherited skills from mother to daughter and rather than traditional marriages they have something called walking marriages allowing women to have as many boyfriends as they please throughout their lives to get to lugu lake from the nearest city legion is an eight hour drive on mainly high-altitude dirt roads this is one of the least developed regions in China but no nearby railroads so when we arrived we were surprised to see so many Chinese tourists so different than what I had imagined all the way here felt like going back in time but everyone just looks completely normal aside from some badass grandmas and there are lots of cars and hotels and hair salons to find out more about the masseur we headed to the local museum what sorry that you've been pushing through John the jumpers or Tormentor mostly I know you guys saw boys she followed your mom also Chen Yin is the true that you get Aoife Chinese gentleman talking about to move to touch our to move on to more winning and what makes the Maserati Archaea matriarchy satellite imagery of Susheela the most solitary no financial woman so to Nevada so time to manage the Constitution are never children with you ho not woman - sir is that your follows our show you assisted of Kanchana our chocolate natural face of another shishun arsenalfan thought you find a shaman sofa your hands are choked with out to see which other cynical to meet a fine education to attract the girl from the museum told us to check out the lake and the famous walking marriage bridge where people go on dates rather than starstruck lovers the bridge was full of tourists taking selfies even I became a tourist attraction what do you think about the culture here in my charcoal culture mystery do you think it's different being a woman here than in the rest of China do you think women are happier here contributing to the boost in domestic tourism is the fascination with the Mosuo way of life that's often been scandalized in a rata sighs it seemed like the only masseur around where the girls selling barbecue so had a chat with one of them to find out if the bridge was still used for romancing Elissa did you ever date from the on the bridge no but I'm laying a quick you can't imagine my mother collects many before Jimmy Garoppolo sensitive has an important you know good that's a healthy outlook unlike in traditional marriages in which couples live together and historically the man will be the provider the masseur never leave the family home and is the woman's brothers and uncles who take on the father role still that often means the women have to provide I was curious to know how the men felt about living in a matriarchy so we got some guys to take us out on a boat ride a typical masseur first day the second heads of our training be careful where inertia press or are canta you know like a pop universe for your show yoga changing over one you know it's hot anywhere Evander so romantic very romantic things changed in terms of how you proceed you look at artistic oh my god Shemp are you going to get into law I'm a search on useless a yeah and gently : this is all you shouldn't let you pass economies forum about the apartment why your is so funny missile coming up yo so women here works really hard do you men have more spare time it's all Quinta Sonia I said so much these days most boss who are monogamous but in the past taking many lovers was common and still isn't considered a big deal after the boat ride loser invited me to her house for dinner she's 32 has a son and lives in her family hope with her mom's sisters and all their kids there were no men around all the women got involved in the dinner preparations it was fascinating to see how her family was completely self-sufficient bringing every meal from field to table on the road the concept of supermarkets is still pretty new to them and many mas who make less than 200 dollars a year so they're relying on producing their own food [Music] they're putting in like this much smarter dish [Music] just covered in pot that's why it's so tasty I don't understand it everyone here is super escapee though delicious nothing enemy chocolate eligos in turn reduce your time didn't you didn't you say in London where I live a meal like this would be super expensive because it's all locally produced homegrown organic good and so nice yeah I got like this issue and pepper so how long have you lived in this house wanted me to logician it well for the eighth time I work for Trent well push you that response well could you tell mama attention will meet the 18 solar Santa three generations it is gonna set that him you have to say to him it was a super Fujiyama Jimmy two days to sing for my mama and daddy may will prolong and I tell me will to pantiagua mama Jenny McCarthyism and your partner's the father of your kids do they they don't live here with you do you only had one partner but some would have had many walking marriages and have children with many most women just like the women men stay with their own families and take care of their sister's kid but they can be part of their biological children's lives if they want to modify your sweet educate mama HSN qua perfidia yo mama is requesting total at the Kotel awakened holoku Haiti Chile Loco this is a winema so can wash a cyclist in Hawaii State Payton defied a court reporter Jackie Cain a supertaster mawashi article is open Aquajet future cha cha delecia most of the new hotel exhibition this is the fourth a total of eight hits of the bed the women who have worked really hard in the fields and carrying heavy loads and cooking and taking care of a family are then rewarded when they're older by becoming the most important figure in the household the grandma and everyday she's surrounded by her entire family and everyone just seems so happy the next morning we were invited over to the mostest most famous crafts woman called Ikeda Zima who also works for the government and holds an important position in the community the mosula we're really beautiful colorful clothes do you think that this is because it's a lot Cherokee and that women like things to be beautiful you're Wesen I'm a lot thanks Yaya watch what you're doing this animation yeah you did it not gonna be just random come on AHA Tanja that your friend I put your suits in the neighborhood now how long the other table find that they get along well that's a ton of machine shooted by their long mayor 20 of them so they show 400 run - oh for sure that might be true yeah Akita Zemus work is so famous her blankets and clothes are shipped all over the world I wanted to know if the young wasps who were as fascinated by the traditional handicraft as I was Samet by nitrogen also named Beaufort Simon the world watches for some it says to the patient that you could good Saturday it's a piles and piles of muscle attempted burglary Tina British brand called Burberry just another so many funny see you trainee central Idaho China Shao Qiang kokoity taiga are the young girls being taught how to Eve is there an interest in it you can download into quiz I hope good city manager your ticket I mean shittaka justice amazing kinda what is your short summer payment so that you turn Susie how I sent you and there's a jato kazamia - you take away that's not not you tell me to paint so you are you at have metal rush or is it a problem that so many of the young people are more interested in the outside world Oh Josh I ain't on a quarantine you're a loser charlie me are not happy sure your chin to shoulder mayor ginger show drew the hot hydro Tama the Damacio muscle women were they warriors to more Sonya and Hersch the kuan-yin in the Sun that went here top or bottom push off me it was interesting to see someone so in touch both with ancient traditions and modern life I wanted to know her thoughts on women's social status in Moscow a culture Casey Casey Alicia hi Nick thought y'all sis you don't don't wanna use you granny or soya and a hot soya two people show me so much what's y'all is that okay yeah he's Elizabeth hyung there's a Jag a bellboy if I would enter a walking marriage who at your son what would my life be like you create chapada honey it's awesome what okay yeah no honey we would carry me a lot on my continued candy melt okay we'll make sure it can ship or whether you're in China the most romantic life has in the past often been described as promiscuous you're hot you're hot I would yeah yeah oh my how much - sure so questions about someone Yamaha Tahoe that I don't say Toyama now what so Natasha fufu daga me Oh Popeye them your child for this how many your chance for former positions echizen-ya mou-chan they're doing more so DeLoach a pitcher shrink-ray yellow euphonic more so that what I should changing that to you'd see sweetie she ain't in the heat off the hole will meet you should we chat here huh Donna Sawyer that disappoints you - totally selfish totally she also washer when we left IQ dizziness workshop I decided to talk to the oldest generation of Massa women who could tell us about the old days before they had roads or an electricity so I'm it up with losers mother who offered to show me around [Music] lugu lake was scenic but it was also being massively remodeled as more hotels roads in an airport were under construction I got the feeling we might be the last film crew to capture life in lugu lake before the tourists invade on a whole new level see you love my you should see ho ho howdy ho ho ho t large low I should see you tomorrow are you worried that with all these changes and all these new opportunities for young people that the ancient muscle traditions are disappearing Tommy Tommy come up with you kitty I was under the impression that in a matriarchy the women will be treated like Queens and the men would be doing most of the hard work but it seems like women are working way harder here Jay a nudie nudie see you to channel hero get your julia has inning of quoi Queenie you learn more talk or tour tonight amore time after she loses mom proudly took me out to the field she'd worked and farmed her whole life well yeah yeah you sure culture needs to fire either you can't that be Sheila do you do this all day you must have such muscles I mean look at this place it's like ridiculously beautiful and organic and everything but it's sort of lost a bit of its charm to me after having had tea with the grandmas because I can't help but feeling that matriarchy here is just a way of glorifying housewives and the women works so hard but at least they're being appreciated for what they're doing they're the ones inheriting the property and it's pretty sensible actually you'll never have a woman on the street with her kids not knowing where to go how to feed them and they're always getting lots of help from their families so there are no divorces there's no slut-shaming there's the sort of acknowledgement of how love is something fleeting and in their own way they have found some form of gender balance I guess to find out how the younger girls felt about the very traditional way of life that Damacio is the elite we caught up with our museum guide Kim and her best friend Zima both in the early 20s into the juvenile game how's your teaching on Twitter adonijah I just I'm sure I'm in catch them so what are you hopes for the future war to survive has food and so on the job transcendental Trisha yeah young girl show but they ship nature that's a war whatever could you put we had your Darwin in Navarre congratulations we companion Bernstein Jackie Jones [Music] oh I'm getting all dressed up to go to Masood it's really exciting I hope I'm not too big for to clubs I only imagined out see you guys have like you you have smartphones you listen to pop music and you like Twilight and things like that what do you grandmothers think about that come on looking at you in a movie you don't you let your eye open manna new telephoto man or woman part Ron so there's any sort of flirting happen at these dances mentally often so a man does my show is cute what are the codes also show each other behind you so I do this three times with my finger if I think someone's cute okay so who's your dream boy or pajama shirt on nigga Rohan young Hank what the nigger tup for like the k-pop stars chances of Hatta Rajasa fine your lies no more than teach me to dunwyn boys [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the dance is used to be away from also to flirt but these days like everything else it seemed to mainly service entertainment for tourists it was our last night so we all went to the local pub to say goodbye have you ever experienced they told us almost 80% of young mas will leave for bigger cities where they often get married and lead mainstream lives also home Superman saw so much of the channel - it's a Chinaman you trip on Jeremy from Jerusalem if you would go to a bigger city would you stay there and try to find a wife there and the light there when you come back young lugu lake is a place in transition and the young masa we met seemed frustrated about being caught between ancient tradition and the temptations of the new China at their fingertips although their lives were far from perfect they were just as annoyed with social structures as anyone else they definitely had something special and it was unclear if their traditions would survive [Music] [Music] [Applause] you

Channel: VICE Asia

Views: 316,802

Rating: 4.6701226 out of 5

Keywords: vice, culture, feminism, china, VICE DOC, vice documentary, womens rights, Chinese Feminism, China’s Mosuo tribe, Mosuo, Matriarchy, Last Matriarchs, Walking marriage, Lugu Lake, polygamy, Queendom, monogamy, one-child policy, gender equality, best documentaries, chinese culture

Id: qMTJt2RnJAk

Length: 24min 40sec (1480 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 23 2018