The last peaceful place on the planet, the last place where war has never existed, where people live in harmony, is Lugu Lake.

The lake is home to the Mosuo minority, one of China's 56 ethnic groups, hidden in the shadows of the Xiaoliang Mountains, bordering Sichuan Province and Yunnan Province of China.

It is the practice of zouhun - walking marriage (a commitment made between two individuals without legal restraints) - that makes this community noticeable as a lakeside love haven.

When a man and woman fall in love, the man visits the woman in the night and then returns to his mother's home in the morning. They never formalize the arrangement to create a new family group, although some couples remain committed to each other throughout their entire lives and often have many children together.

In fact, the two never share common property - all property is inherited by women. A child will grow up in the mother's family home, alongside siblings and maternal uncles. Male Influences in childhood come from maternal male relatives, rather than the child's father.

From birth to death, the offspring remains in the home of his/her mother. Sexual power is equally shared between men and women.

Anthropologists have noted Lugu Lake as an oddity in the study of human society. According to many scholars, the Mosuo have done away with the problem of sexual harassment, burglary, murder, rape, domestic disputes between mother in-laws and daughter in-laws, and individual desire for economic gain. Hence their language has no words for war, rape, or murder.

Twenty- or even ten - years ago, the average Chinese would have had little desire to visit this remote area, but in recent years, the rural scenery of Lugu Lake has seen an influx of tourists, enduring tenuous train trips and bus rides for a glimpse at its unique matriarchal culture, and its famous "zouhun".