Imagine living in a matriarchal society where women make the important decisions, own and pass on land to their daughters and do not practice marriage or monogamy.
想像我們生活在一個母系社會：那裡女人才是主宰。 土地歸女人所有， 並由母親傳給女兒。 沒有婚姻， 更沒有一夫一妻制。
That's what Choo Waihong, a corporate lawyer from Singapore, did for six years, off and on, after building a house among the Mosuo people in Yunnan province.
來自新加坡的公司律師朱偉鴻在雲南摩梭部落裡安了家， 此後6年， 她隔三差五地住在那裡， 就過著這樣的生活。
Most curious tourists spend more time getting to the Mosuo's home around Lugu Lake, a 7-9 hour drive from Lijiang, than they spend visiting. But that wasn't enough for Choo. She made it her second home, even becoming the god mother of a young Mosuo girl.
好奇的遊客們大多從麗江開車去往瀘沽湖的摩梭人家。 路上要耗時七到九個小時， 比他們參觀的時間還長。 但是朱偉鴻並不滿足於此。 她在那裡建了她的第二個家， 甚至做了一位摩梭女孩的教母。
While there have been documentaries and anthropological studies of the Mosuo tribe, no outsider has spent that much time simply being there and observing their lifestyle.
人們拍攝過關於摩梭部落的紀錄片， 發表過相關的人類學研究報告， 但沒有一個外地人曾在那裡生活這麼長的時間， 觀察她們的生活方式。
She's written a book, The Kingdom of Women, and spoke recently at The Bookworm in Beijing. Often at the end of these sorts of talk, there's an awkward few moments where no one's brave enough in the audience to ask the first question. Not this time. About 20 hands shot up as Choo wrapped up. Clearly, a lot of people were having trouble imagining a society where the power imbalance is flipped.
她寫了一本書， 名為《女兒國》。 最近她還在北京的老書蟲書店作了演講。 通常這類演講結束時， 總會出現一些很尷尬的時刻， 因為觀眾們誰也不敢第一個發問。 但這次與以往不同。
There was, of course, a lot of interest in the concept of the "walking marriage" that Mosuo people practice. Women may invite a man over at night time, but they must walk home by sunrise. The resulting children are raised in the mother's house, while the fathers remain living at their own mother's house.
當然， 其中大多數的問題是針對摩梭人奉行的“走婚”理念而提的。 傍晚時分， 女人可能邀請男人來家居住， 但是他們必須在日出之際走回自己的家。 因此生下的孩子歸母家生養，
Interestingly, many of the questions about this matriarchal culture were about the men. Were they content with their second rate position? Have they ever rebelled? Did they do the cooking?
有趣的是， 眾多有關母系文化的問題是都關於男性的。 比如， 他們對自己的二等地位滿意嗎？他們反抗過嗎？他們也做飯嗎？
No was Choo's answer to all three. Not surprisingly, she hadn't spent too much time worrying about how the men were faring. But from her observations she believes that they were happy enough to be free of responsibilities. They enjoy the benefits of the walking marriage as much as the women and tend to "strut around like peacocks" to attract the attention of the women.
朱偉鴻對這三個問題的回答都是“不”。 不出意料， 她沒花太多時間擔心這些男人過得如何。 但據她的觀察， 她相信他們很高興自己可以不受責任之累。 他們和女性一樣享受走婚帶來的好處， 努力“像孔雀一樣自我炫耀”來吸引女性的注意。
I'm skeptical that anyone, male or female, would be happier with a lower status based on their gender. Hence, women stood up to discrimination and continue to fight for equality. Why the Mosuo men have apparently not done that, even with a physical advantage, is interesting.
我認為任何人， 不論男女， 都不會樂意接受因性別導致的較低地位。 因此， 女性勇於面對歧視， 並一直為平等奮鬥。 令人感興趣的是， 為什麼摩梭男性在即使擁有身體上的優勢的情況下， 卻明顯沒有為此奮鬥。
Choo noted obvious benefits for the ruling women like confidence, independence and healthy self-esteem. Qualities that are still often hard fought for in patriarchal societies.
朱偉鴻指出了處於統治地位的女性得到的明顯好處， 比如自信、獨立和健康的自尊。 在父權社會中， 這些品質仍是難以爭取的。
Perhaps more intriguing is not the differences, but similarities between the traditional gender roles in Mosuo culture and patriarchal societies. Women may hold the power, but they still do the majority of cooking and cleaning, while the men are tasked with the physical labor. There is evidence that boys help raise their younger siblings, but women remain the primary carers. Why women still assume the domestic duties even as head of the household is another mystery.
也許最有趣的不是傳統性別角色在摩梭文化和父權社會中的差異， 而是他們的相似之處。 女性可能會掌權， 但是她們仍然承擔著大部分的做飯和清潔工作。 而男性還是體力勞動的主力軍。 有證據表明， 男孩們可以幫助撫養他們的弟弟妹妹， 但女性仍是主要看護者。 為什麼女性已是一家之主了， 卻仍要承擔家務？這就變成了另一個謎題。
Even with Choo's special insight, she does not pretend to have all the answers. Rather her account is important because it raises these questions about the Mosuos and, in turn, encourages us to scrutinize and challenge our own way of doing things and society's treatment of men and women.
即使朱偉鴻有著自己的獨特見解， 她也沒有假裝自己能解釋所有問題。但她講述的東西很重要。因為人們因此對摩梭人產生了疑問，相應地，這些故事還鼓勵我們審視和挑戰我們自己做事的方式，以及男人女人在社會中的待遇問題。
譯者：曲金遙
About the author
Rose Bolger joined China Daily at the start of November 2016 as a copy editor at the website. Having left her home in the small Australian city, Hobart, to move to one of the biggest cities in the world, she's looking forward to exploring Beijing. During her 10-year career as a journalist she has worked for newspapers, radio and television networks.
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她也沒有假裝自己能解釋所有問題。但她講述的東西很重要。因為人們因此對摩梭人產生了疑問，相應地，這些故事還鼓勵我們審視和挑戰我們自己做事的方式，以及男人女人在社會中的待遇問題。譯者：曲金遙
About the author
Rose Bolger joined China Daily at the start of November 2016 as a copy editor at the website. Having left her home in the small Australian city, Hobart, to move to one of the biggest cities in the world, she's looking forward to exploring Beijing. During her 10-year career as a journalist she has worked for newspapers, radio and television networks.
收聽更多英文音訊可關注↓↓↓
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