'Mosuo Song Journey': A cross-cultural documentary fieldwork experience in Yunnan, China

In this paper, I contribute a filmmaker's perspective in discussing fieldwork methodological issues I encountered in making my documentary "Mosuo Song Journey" in Yunnan China. In my fieldwork case, I want to mainly discuss how my reposition of different characters and relations in different field situations shaped the development of my documentary. I will specifically discuss the following issues: (1) how I re-oriented myself in my independent fieldwork after my collaborative filming with the international scholar Carol Bliss did not work out. (2) how I came to recognize my limitation as an outsider translator and to value the contribution of the indigenous translator Lamu Gatusa beyond his role of a translator. (3) how I perceived the identity shifts of both myself and my Mosuo subjects who underwent different cultural changes and different local media contacts. In addition, I want to discuss my coping with the gender culture in Mosuo matrilineal society, which is different from my own.