Happenings Archive

About the author:
Choo Waihong was a corporate lawyer with top law firms in Singapore and California before she took early retirement in 2006 to travel and write. She lived for six years with the Mosuo tribe and now spends half the year with them in Yunnan, China.

About the book:
The Mosuo tribe in Yunnan, western China is the last surviving matrilineal and matriarchal society in the world. Theirs is a story discovered somewhat unexpectedly by Choo Waihong, a corporate lawyer from Singapore who left behind fifteen hour days and the exhausting demands of corporate life to travel China and learn more about her heritage.

From the moment she stepped into The Kingdom of Women, then just another tourist stop on the itinerary, Waihong was captivated. The Mosuo community, who worship the female spirit, celebrate every aspect of womanhood and structure their social hierarchy according to maternal bloodlines – was a stark contrast to the male-dominated world of corporate law through which she had navigated for decades. Intrigued by the question of how the Mosuos have kept their traditions alive for thousands of years – not succumbing to the patriarchal influences in the world around them – Waihong became Godmother to a young Musuo girl and became the first outsider to move into the heart of the community, where she stayed for six years.

This is the first insider account of Mosuo life, shedding light on a remarkable society that teeters on the knife-edge of extinction in the midst of modern China. It ties into current debates about traditional gender roles, posing many topical questions: is the Mosuo way of life the perfect model of a feminist utopia? How can they be protected from a growing tourism industry that leaves them vulnerable to exploitation?

Praise for The Kingdom of Women
‘A refreshing and authentic portrait of a hidden society in patriarchal China. A must read!’
——HSIAO-HUNG PAI, author of Scattered Sand and Chinese Whispers

‘A crisp account…Full of insights and touching descriptions,this is one of the most accessible and concrete descriptions of the Mosuo, a group more analysed than understood, putting the humanity of this tribe at the forefront of their identity.’
——KERRY BROWN, author of CEO, China and The New Emperors

‘most engaging…Full of detail and telling insights’
——JONATHAN FRYER, SOAS

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