THE NU RIVER - Dams and Development in China - page 77

French missionaries began proselytizing the area beginning in the 1850s. Their efforts
proved successful, particularly among the Lisu, who converted in large numbers; dozens
of rustic churches now dot the Nu River valley, their crosses conspicuously visible from
the main highway. Mass is held in several languages at least once each month, often at the
hands of itinerant priests who travel up and down the gorge, and important life-cycle rituals
such as weddings and funerals are by and large Catholic affairs (Clark 2009). 2 Catholic
churches have also come to serve as de facto community centers where villagers gather to
share a meal, catch up on local current affairs, and even play a game of basketball on an
outdoor court.
FIGURE 4.2 A Lisu farming family's house on the banks of the Nu River.
I interviewed one Lisu couple with five children who lived on the right bank of the Nu
River in Fugong County. The Planned-Births Program (Jihua Shengyu) stipulates a max-
imum of two children for residents of the county, and the couple had paid a fine of 1,450
yuan for each additional child, borrowing money from their extended family. 3 Their house