The last matriarchal society in the world is found byLugu Lake.In the“azhu marriage”of the Mosuo，the mandoes not marry the woman and vice-versa.In work，lifeand financial matters，the couple does not have to remainin contact.“azhu”is a word in the Mosuo language thatmeans“intimate sweetheart.”An“azhu”marriage isbased on feeling and each partner is free to come and go asthey wish.Mosuo marriages come in three forms：Azhu marriage without cohabitationIn an azhu marriage without cohabitation，the mandoes not marry the woman and vice-versa.The man andwoman both continue to live in their parents’home.The man only goes to the woman’s home to spend the nightand then returns to his mother’s home in the morning towork and live.This is known as a“traveling marriage.”
Children resulting from an azhu marriage without cohabitationare considered members of the woman’s family，take the woman’s last name and are raised in her mother’shome.Though the father does not live together withhis children，he often visits them and stays interested intheir lives and development.The father may send gifts ofclothing and daily necessities and children may visit thefather’s home on holidays.
Azhu marriage with cohabitationIn an azhu marriage with cohabitation，as opposedto the azhu marriage without cohabitation，the marriedcouple does not live apart with their individual parents.
Instead，they live，work，and raise their children togetherin either his or her parents’home，making it unnecessaryfor the man to visit his wife at night and leave again thenext morning.This kind of marriage takes form when a couple has been living in a“traveling”marriage for sometime and discovered that they have deep feelings for eachother and both wish to solidify their relationship as theyapproach middle age or their parents have died，releasingtheir obligation to care for them.If the couple discoverthey no longer care for each other after they have livedtogether for a period of time they can choose to separateand each live in their mother’s home.Because the coupleare living together rather than having their own separatehomes，planning their own separate lives and workingapart from each other，the property belongs to the familyin whose home the couple lives.Regardless of whetherthe man or woman later leaves，all property stays withthe family，as do any children.After the couple split，eachhas an economic safety net to fall back on in the form oftheir families and later problems are avoided since neitherhas to worry about how they are going to live.
One-on-one marriage
Among the Mosuo，20%practice one-on-one marriage.
After Kublai Khan led the Mongolian Army southto Lugu Lake，he set up a feudal government system，installed warrant officers and stationed troops there.Healso introduced Lamaism and exercised a rule that combinedcivil administration and religion in Yongning andLugu Lake.The new officials continued to practice theirtraditional monogamous marriage.Mosuo people livingin Jiaze and Tuodian and sites near the county seat such asYankouba and Wakai have also been gradually adoptingthe practice of one-on-one marriage after a long time livingamong other ethnic groups.Some Mosuo，however，have retained the custom of showing greatest respect formothers and parents-in-law，with mothers enjoying especiallyhigh social status.
