泸沽湖畔居住着的摩梭人，至今仍保留着“男不婚，女不嫁”的“阿夏”走婚习俗。男女成年后，男方晚上到女方家访宿。彼此互称“阿夏”，意为“亲密的伴侣”。在摩梭人的家里，由女性作为一家的主宰并崇拜女神。摩梭人的母权制家庭遗风，是当今世界罕有的“女儿国”，又被称为“母系社会的活化石”。
关于泸沽湖的形成，当地流传着一个有趣的故事：在遥远的年代，这里曾是一片村庄。村里有个孤儿，每天到狮子山去放牧。人们只要把牛羊交给他，他总是把牛羊放得肥肥壮壮的。有一天，他在山上一棵树下睡着了，梦见一条大鱼对他说：“善良的孩子，你可怜了，从今往后，你不必带午饭了，就割我身上的肉吃吧。”小孩醒来后，就到山上找呵找，终于在一个山洞里发现那条大鱼，他就割下一块烧吃，鱼肉香喷喷的。第二天，他又去了，昨天割过的地方又长满了肉。这事被村里一个贪心的人知道了，他要把大鱼占为已有，就约了一些贪财之徒，用绳索拴住鱼，让九匹马九头牛一齐使劲拉，鱼被拉出洞，灾难也就降临了。从那个洞里，洪水喷涌而出，顷刻间淹没了村庄。那时，有一个摩梭女人正在喂猪，两个年幼的孩子在旁边玩耍，母亲见洪水冲来，急中生智，把两个孩子抱进猪槽，自己却葬身水底。两个孩子坐在槽里承受水漂流，后来，他们成了这个地方的祖先。人们为了纪念那个伟大的母亲，就拿整段木头做成“猪槽船”，泸沽湖也称为母亲湖。
The Lugu Lake & Mosu Culture
The LuGuLake overlaps Yunnan-Sichuan border, 300 km from Lijiang town, and it remains an uncontaimnated plateau lake. Among the five islands in the lake, one was called "the Chieftain Island " because Ayunshan, the chieftain of Yongning, built his villa on the island in the Guangxu Period of Qing dynasty. Joseph Rock, a legendary American scientist, also used to reside on this island. The pretty and graceful Mosu girls, the ancient and natural canoes and the moving and pleasant fishing songs are con-sidered to be the "three most enjoyable thing on the lake " Many culture site and scenic spots are scatted along the lakeside. They are Mosu village plateau hot spring, the under-ground maze, The lucky cave, The Zhamei lama Temple, Riyuehe-The Ruins of Yuan Army Quarters when Kublai Khan was on his southern expansion .
Yongning the key town on the ancient tea & horse trading route . Many beautiful legends have been circulating among the people.
The Mosu people have their own ways and customs, still retain some remnants of the matriachal society .Men and Women are not bound by marriage, each living at one's mother's home.
Men work at home during the day and spend their night with the women they love in their home. Children are under the care of and supported by their maternal families. Father do not live in the same family with their children and women so that they are not bound up with their women financially in their production and life. This unique wedlock values affection and gives more freedom to men and women in their relationships. They may choose to unite or separate at will. It has been considered as the living fossil as a basis for a study of social patters and matriarchal marriage customs in today's world. The Mosu wooden house are built with square-edged timber style. The Mosu villages look graceful and unaffected.
The Turning-around Mountain Festival is traditional festival of the Mosu people. On that day they would dressed up to worship the Mt.Gemu God-dess and pray for Goddess' protection. Lots of activity would be held such as hors racing, wrestling and antiphonal singing. The young people take the chance to search their lover, whom they call Axia. Before 13 years old, they usually wear long gowns. After the initiation ceremony at the age of 13, men wear pants and women wear skirts.
Yangercinam, the model and freelance writer from Mosu, appealed in the cover of the national geography in 1995 with pages of Lugu Lake's intro-ductions. It remind me of Joseph Rock who is another freelance writer and botanist and explorer. He also took many photoes about Lugu Lake for the nation-al geography, but 70 years ago.
Mr.Joseph Rock was born in Austria, and sought job in Hawaii, and lived almost continuously in Lijiang between 1922 and 1949. In the Ancient Nakhi Kingdom of South-west China (Harvard University Press, 1947) by Rock, it has 1/4 about Lugu Lake and his best friend Ayunshan who is the chieftain of Yongning. Rock is so quick and violent temper that he broke up many wester-ners in China. However, he love Mosu chieftain Ayunshan as his best friend. Being Ayunshan's guest and stayed the island to write his work untill Ayunshan was dead.
Place to Stay & Eat: There are several guesthouses around the Luoshui beside the Lugu Lake. One even on the island. They all charge Y10 for a bed in a double with on show, and quilt were smelt. And 4 restaurants nearby the guesthouse. They made food in Tibetan cuisine and Sichuan cuisine. As for price, is not expansive as you expect. Last time 4 of us pay Y35 for a meal.