| People | Yao · |
| Region | Guangxi, Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County; also Hunan, northern Guangdong, and Guizhou |
| Role | drink in their own way |
Tea
恭城油茶 gōngchéng yóuchá — oil tea that is neither brewed nor boiled but beaten: the leaves are fried in a wok with ginger and garlic and pounded with a wooden mallet 茶槌 cháchuí, then water is poured in, the liquid strained, and it is served with rice crisps, peanuts, and scallions. The custom 瑶族油茶习俗 yáozú yóuchá xísú was included in the fifth national list of intangible cultural heritage (2021), and in 2022 it was added to the UNESCO list as part of 中国传统制茶技艺及其相关习俗. Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, near Guilin.
Topknot
Wooden mallet 茶槌: a short beater standing head DOWN, the head noticeably wider than the handle and worn by use to a dark matte sheen, with oil-fried leaves and ginger crumbs stuck to it, the end bearing dark dents from the wok. Differs from the Mongols’ ladle in that there the end has a wide open cup with brew, while here the solid head is twice as wide as the handle; from the Tibetans’ whisk shaft 甲洛 in lacking a perforated disc and being three times thicker; from the Shui cleat in that the flare goes DOWN and there is no rope coil on it. The wood has no sheen of its own: the satin luster is the signature of the Dong.
Headpiece
包帕 bāopà in its working form: a single low wrap lying flush around the skull, with no second tier and no uprights. Both ends are drawn together at the nape seam and tied into ONE large upright loop — the knot is pulled tight, the fabric is starched and holds the ring open. The edge is trimmed in a circle, with no corners. The opening for the mallet is a slit in the crown of the wrap, bound with the same fabric.
Silhouette at 6 mm. Loop behind the nape: a tight low wrap around the skull, and behind the head stands one large loop through which the background shows. The gap is the signature of the mallet: there is one tier, and the hole in the silhouette sits BEHIND. Differs from the Hui in that there two washers sit one above the other with a horizontal gap; from the Qiang in that the wrap is even all around and nothing drops onto the cheek; from the Tatars in that the back is not a solid cone with a knot but a closed ring; from the Gelao in that the back has not six tails in a fan but one closed loop.
Clothing
Dark jacket with a red embroidered placket along the front edge, a wide woven sash, and a basket on the back with rice crisps and peanuts.
Palette
Indigo of the wrap, red embroidery.