A Mosuo lady

In China, one has to be an official minority in order to get the advantages of being a 'minority'. The official number of 'minorities' is said to be 56. Every year, the few not identified as minority applies to be classified as one. The 'Mosuo' are not officially an ethnic group even though they have very distinct features that say they are an ethnic group. They live mainly around Lugu Lake which is in the North Eastern tip of Yunnan province. Some of them can be found in Lijiang where they sit at the loom and makes shawls and scarves to sell to the tourists. Others are found farming back in Lugu Lake. A little of money is now trickling into their community from tourism though not much Lugu Lake is not easily accessible. For the intrepid, who do venture there, they stay with the Mosuo people in their homes and enjoy a very authentic experience. I didn't go to Lugu Lake, maybe one day.
Most of the information about them can be found in a book called, "Invisible China" by Colin Legerton and Jacob Rawson which documents some of the ethnic groups of China, those that the 2 authors had opportunities of visiting. The Mosuo and Lugu Lake is one of them.
Another book I read said, the Mosuo young women would prefer to be in Beijing, a big city, rather than entertaining the tourists in Lijiang. I can understand that. Back in Lugu Lake, the men has all but gone to the big cities to work for hard currency leaving the women in charge of the homes and the farms. Farm work and animal husbandry are all done by the women. As the book, 'Invisible China' said, Lugu Lake is a country of daughters, of the Mosuo people.

I think the Chinese writing on top of her loom says, 'no pictures'. I can't read Chinese.