The Mosuo people are one of the ethnic minorities in China, mainly living on the shores of Lugu Lake in Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, and are the only matriarchal social form in China. However, although the Mosuo are an ethnic minority in China, they were not included among the 56 ethnic groups in the identification of ethnic groups after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
This is mainly because the matrilineal social form of the Mosuo people is quite different from other ethnic groups, and they have not been regarded as an independent ethnic group in history. In the work of ethnic identification, the Mosuo are regarded as a branch of the Naxi people, while the Naxi are identified as a separate ethnic group. Despite this, the Mosuo people are still considered to be a people with their own unique language, culture, and way of life, with a high sense of national identity and cultural distinctiveness.
In addition, because the Mosuo people mainly live in remote areas of Yunnan Province and have little communication with the outside world, it has also affected the development of their national identity and the perception of them to a certain extent. In recent years, with the importance and protection of minority cultures in China, the status of the Mosuo people has gradually been recognized, and many people have begun to call for the Mosuo people to be listed as the 57th ethnic group in China.
Although the Mosuo people are not included in the list of 56 ethnic groups, as one of China's ethnic minorities, their unique matrilineal social form and cultural traditions are still an important part of China's cultural diversity. In the future, with the further attention and protection of ethnic minority culture in China, it is believed that the status and identity of the Mosuo people will also be more recognized and developed.