The Lemu People - Communal House

　　Luobenzhuo is a township located at the northernmost part of Lushui County and is the primary settlement of the Lemu people, a subgroup of the Bai ethnic group. The Lemu people are called “Lemo” by the Lisu people and “Miaowang” by the Nu people, meaning “those who can plow with oxen.” They refer to themselves as “Bani,” meaning “people from over the mountains” (referring to the eastern side of the Biluo Mountain Range). The Lemu people reside in areas such as Gejia and Chenggan townships, as well as Gudeng Township in Luobenzhuo, Lushui County, and are also scattered across places like Dalandi and Bingfeng in Shangjiang Township. Most Lemu people live in scattered settlements on the mountain terraces along both sides of the Nu River. Hardworking and intelligent, the Lemu people, like the Lisu, Nu, and Derung peoples, are one of the ancient indigenous ethnic groups living on both sides of the Nu River. They have long labored and thrived in these rugged mountains, developed the Nu River region, and guarded the southwestern frontier of the motherland, enabling the people of the inland regions to live and work in peace. There are over eight thousand Lemu people who speak only the Lemu language. According to oral accounts from elderly Lemu people, their ancestors originally lived in areas that are now Dali, Lijiang, Weixi, and Jianchuan. Later, due to war and ethnic oppression, they migrated to places like Mujiayi Village in Zhongpai, Lanping County, Xiwuku and Jinman in Yingpan, and during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, they crossed the Biluo Snow Mountain to settle in the area around Luobenzhuo on the western bank of the Nu River, in what was formerly Bijiang County. This has been approximately four hundred years ago.

　　Today, the last “communal houses” of the Lemu people can still be found in areas such as Gudeng and Luobenzhuo. These communal houses are also called “flower houses.” When a Lemu girl reaches adulthood, her family builds a “thousand-foot stilts” thatched hut about fifty meters away from the main house as a space for her to socialize and meet potential suitors.