| People | Qiang · 羌 |
| Region | Sichuan: Wenchuan, Maoxian, Lixian in Aba, and Beichuan in Mianyang |
| Role | drink in their own way |
Tea
罐罐茶 guànguànchá — tea is boiled in a small clay pot right by the hearth, with the pot set on its side in the heat and topped up; in the foothills of Lueyang, Ningqiang, Fengxian, Wudu, and Liangfang, tea is mixed into a flour slurry with huoxiang 藿香, fennel, ginger, and scallion greens, making the drink a morning meal in itself. The custom is described directly as a legacy of the ancient Qiang, 古羌族遗风. Mao, Wenchuan, Li, Beichuan in northwestern Sichuan, and the Qiang foothills in Gansu and Shaanxi.
Crown growth
A potbellied little jug 罐罐 guànguàn: a squat, rounded body of reddish-brown earthenware with a short spout and a tiny handle, a gray ash patina from the hearth across the shoulder, and a soaked tea leaf dangling from the spout. The very pot in which tea boils over the fire.
Headwear
头帕 tóupà in the 瓦帕 wǎpà variant — a black cloth folded in three and laid as ONE snug layer over the skull; one end is left long, starched, and dropped over the left cheek as a wide stiff flap down to the jaw, while the right temple stays bare. The front edge of the flap is embroidered in a fine pattern. The working version has no silver plaques or pendants. A slit for the pot is cut through the crown, and the cloth grips the vessel’s neck.
Outline at 6 mm. One cheek: a smooth low wrap over the skull, from which on ONE side a wide stiff flap descends, covering the ear and cheek down to the jaw, while the opposite temple is entirely bare — the lower edge of the silhouette runs at a slant. No more tiers: the Hui have two washers with a gap, the Yao a ring behind the head. Differs from the Dongxiang in count and length — there the flaps are TWO and both fall below the chin along both cheekbones; here there is one that ends at the jaw. Differs from the Naxi in that there half the field is raised UP, while here the plane runs DOWN.
Clothing
A long linen shirt, over it a sheepskin vest worn fleece-side out, an embroidered belt, embroidered cloth shoes.
Palette
Bluish-black cloth, dark blue embroidery across the upper tier, reddish-brown earthenware of the pot, bleached linen, gray-fawn sheepskin.