Shih (Anthropology and Asian Studies, University of Florida) presents the first English-language ethnography of the Moso, a matrilineal group that lives in southwest China's Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. Drawing on field work conducted over two decades, the author gives give a comprehensive account of tisese, a visiting system that most Moso adults practice in place of marriage. He also details the Mosos' traditional social and cultural conditions, including their unusual gender system and the high value they place on household harmony. Meticulously researched and very well written, this book will interest scholars of sexuality and gender relations, and appeal to some general readers interested in Chinese culture and ethnography.