Remarkable women walk own path(3)

Han Xiao poses with her husband in front of their hotel in Lijiang, Yunnan province. (CHINA DAILY)

Growing up, Han was the quintessential "good girl". She excelled in school, always aiming for first place to meet her parents' expectations.

"I knew they wanted the best for me, but I always felt trapped by their plans," she said.

After graduation in 2012, the woman originally from Xi'an, in the inland Shaanxi province, moved over 2,000 kilometers from home to work as a bank teller in the coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province.

Determined to prove herself, she climbed the corporate ladder, enduring long hours, difficult clients and endless pressure.

"I worked tirelessly, but I didn't even know why," she recalled. "I just thought success would bring me freedom."

In her leisure time, Han traveled to deserts and plateaus at home and abroad, and on a 2015 trip to Lugu Lake, she met a Mosuo man, a member of a branch of the local Naxi ethnic group.

"It was love at first sight," Han said.

He took her hiking on the Gemu Goddess Mountain, where they listened to the wind whistle through the valleys.

"For the first time, I felt truly at peace," she recalled.

But reality soon called her back to the city. Reluctantly, she left and returned to her high-pressure job.

"I was young, and the idea of moving my life here didn't cross my mind," she said.

Her continued efforts earned her better opportunities and brought her to Beijing in 2018.

Despite her achievements, she felt increasingly disconnected from herself. Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, confining her to her apartment for months in 2020.

"It started to put things in perspective, what really matters in life," she said, adding that she couldn't find a sense of purpose in managing assets that didn't belong to her and got tired of living up to people's expectations.

Later that year, the Mosuo man reached out to her.

"The moment I heard his voice, my heart flew back to Yunnan," Han said.

Without hesitation, she packed her bags and returned to Lugu Lake, determined to follow her heart.

Reunited with her Mosuo lover, Han decided to stay. Together, they opened a romantic hotel by the lake, blending modern comfort with the natural beauty and cultural richness of the Mosuo people.

"We wanted to create a place where people could feel at home, surrounded by the magic of Lugu Lake," she explained.

In 2021, the couple married, sealing their partnership in both life and business. "This is where our love began, and now it's where we help others find their own moments of joy and healing," she said.

For full-time student Sun, attending classes and doing homework is not the retired life she had expected, it's a whole lot better.

"Sometimes, I still have a hard time believing I'm picking up those advanced classes and I feel so fulfilled," she said. "For the first time in my life, I'm doing something just for myself."