Love Mama Naxi!

We love Mama Naxi!

In Lijiang  we are staying in Mama Naxis guest house. Mama Naxi  comes from the Naxi minority group.

There are 55 ethnic minorities in China, all with different languages, cultures and clothing. The  55 minorities only  make up 7 % and the Han Chinese make up 93%.

Naxi people live in Yunnan and Sichuan province. They have a population of around 300,000 and many live in Lijiang. Women are in charge in the Naxi group so that means when you say ‘female stone’ it means boulder but when you say ‘male stone’ it means pebble!  Naxi has a meaning, ‘Na’ means senior and honoured and ‘xi’ means  people.

The Naxi house is usually 7.5 meters high, with 2 floors, mostly made of clay bricks and wood. Normally upstairs is used for storing crops and downstairs is where people live. There is usually a big courtyard surrounded by three buildings. Every family has a comfortable  yard with a pleasant  atmosphere.

Naxi ladies at the market

The Naxi women wear wide-sleeved loose gown accompanied by jackets and long trousers tied with richly decorated  belts at the waist. Sheepskin decorated with the famous stars  is slung over the shoulder. We have seen lots of women wearing their traditional dress in every day use. The men’s costume is very much like the Han Chinese’s.

Mama Naxi is a lovely Naxi lady. She welcomes you as if you were a good friend and she has known you all her life.  So far I have never seen  her with out a smile, well I have but only when the dogs came in when they weren’t supposed too! Mama Naxi has a very nice menu and what ever you get it is huge! In the evenings, she makes a family tea where everyone gets together. Sometimes she even gives us bananas or a yoghurt! I like Mama Naxi and I think everyone who has visited  her guest house loves her too!!!!