The Mosuo are not unique – other existing matrilineal societies that run on similar principles include the Minangkabau of West Sumatra, and Trobriand Islanders off the coast of Papua New Guinea. “In all of them, women tend to have more prestige and the gender roles are more balanced,” says Dr Mathieu. Though they’ve lived this way for thousands of years, The Kingdom Of Women details the recent years Waihong has spent living with the Mosuo.

“I grew up in a patriarchal Chinese community in Singapore,” Waihong recalls. “I became a corporate lawyer in an intensely male-dominated world, working 15-hour days to prove myself and I lost count of the times I was accused of ‘misspeaking’ at partners’ meetings, just by standing up for women. By 2006, as a baby boomer who’d been working for decades, I was burnt out and took early retirement to tour China.” She headed for remote Yunnan after reading about the elaborate, decorative Mountain Goddess festival in the area. “I’ve been a feminist all my life and it struck me as incredible that a matrilineal society still existed in the 21st century,” she says, recounting how a local Mosuo woman invited her to share their picnic. “The local people were very friendly, including two young kids who decided I was their godmother, I only stayed five days, but I thought I’ll go back and visit them some day. I found the culture fascinating.”

Making home

The following spring, after spending several months travelling, Waihong returned as promised to visit Ladzu – one of the little girls she’d met from her first visit – along with Ladzu’s uncle Zhaxi and her eight siblings. “They became my extended family,” says Waihong. “After a few days, he asked, ‘Would you like to have a house built here?’ I didn’t hesitate. I’d fallen for the beautiful location and the people.” A few months later, the house, with its traditional curved roof and wooden beams, was ‘raised’ or created by the entire village. Now, she spends half the year there, describing it in her book as “a dwelling place for my feminist soul”. Far from female friends questioning her decisions, several have been to stay, loving the area’s peace and beauty and being welcomed by the tribe who now call Waihong ‘half Mosuo’ and ‘Godmother’.

The land where women rule: discover the tribe in western China where women hold all the power