

Walking Marriage·Grand Canyon

Rushing down from the distant Kangbei grassland, you enter the surging Xianshui River Valley - the mysterious Zhaba tribe. The unique language, culture and walking marriage customs reveal a secret place in Tibet, which made us slowly walk into it and slowly become immersed in it.

Grand Canyon
Zhaba Grand Canyon is located in Daofu County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province. In the high mountain canyon, rapids rush, seas of clouds grow, and large tracts of dense and lush forests look like giant tapestries hanging from the horizon. Walking through it is full of interest and makes you feel relaxed and happy. Looking up into the distance, you can see the deep canyon. You can vaguely see ancient watchtowers scattered around.
The second daughter country

【Two Daughters Country】
Zhaba is also the second daughter country, which can be traced back to the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
There are two "women's kingdoms" on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one is in Tibet
One in the eastern part of the Kham region
【Eastern Women's Country】
To distinguish the “women’s country” in Tibet
The "Women's Kingdom" in the Kham region is called the "Eastern Woman's Kingdom"
The Zhaba people are most likely to have disappeared in history.
A remnant of a tribe from the famous "Eastern Women's Kingdom"
They also still retain the ancient Dangxiang language
and the living customs of the "Eastern Women's Country"
Climb the house

【No ceremony】
As long as young men and women are in love
No ceremony required
Men can climb walls and windows at night
Enter the girl's boudoir and spend the night together
【Test】
Young men and women reach a certain age
It is necessary to find "Xiayi" (i.e. partner) to fall in love.
After finding Xiayi, the man started to get married
But it must withstand the test of "Du Gou" (i.e. climbing the wall)
【Fixed object】
There is also a certain distance when climbing a house.
A man must express his feelings to the woman he likes during the day
Steal girls’ accessories such as headscarves and rings
If a woman likes a man, she will open the window for him at night
If the woman does not agree, she will refuse to open the window.
After the woman becomes pregnant, she will agree to the marriage and have a fixed partner.
unique language and culture

【Language Island】
In addition to maintaining the unique custom of walking marriage, the Zhaba area
At the same time, it is also a typical "language island"
Zhaba dialect is completely different from Tibetan languages in other areas.
Why are “language islands” formed in this Grand Canyon?
Are they Tibetan or not, and where did they come from?
has become another topic of concern to people
[Tibetan dialect]
As early as the 1950s, the ethnic census
I found that the Zhaba language is different from the Tibetan language in other areas.
People outside the Zhaba area can’t understand it at all.
There are dialects in Tibetan such as Lhasa, Derge and Amdo.
And local dialects like Zhaba are called Tibetan dialects.
Experts believe that the Zhaba people are likely to be descendants of the Dangxiang people
The language of Zhaba is a relatively ancient language
There are obvious differences from Tibetan in grammatical structure
Zhaba



Walking marriage is a custom and a historical deposit of a nation.
Zhaba's customs and traffic congestion allow the practice of walking marriage to continue
As a result, Zhaba became the second daughter country of
But the custom of walking marriage may gradually disappear over time
But I have different ideas
Traditional customs do not necessarily need to be completely resisted or not accepted.
In other words, it is also the uniqueness of a place
It is a witness to history, something that our ancestors have always recognized and inherited.
It’s worth understanding and studying!