Bai

Tea

三道茶 sāndàochá — the first cup is bitter 苦茶 made from roasted green Cangshan, the second is sweet with nut shavings and cane sugar, the third 回味茶 with honey, cinnamon and a pinch of Sichuan pepper. National intangible heritage list, 2014

Crown growth

A foamy swirl of three turns: a spiral of whipped foam rises from the crown, a cap of fine bubbles at its base, the coil narrowing toward the top. Neither a crest nor a hook — an ascending spiral, and unlike Yanka’s hooked curl it unfurls upward.

Headwear

A stiff crescent headband worn at a tilt: a thin arc above the brow, white on top, embroidered floral border, a slot for the spiral at the arc’s high point; at the left temple a single long white silk tassel pressed against the shoulder. At 6 mm the outline is a thin arc as a line plus a thin cord to the shoulder, whereas Dai’s scarf at the same spot is a dense slanted volume and a wide band of cloth. The skull behind the arc remains visible.

Clothing

A white shirt, a red sleeveless vest 领挂, an embroidered apron tied at the waist, woven cloth shoes. A basket on the back; in the hands a small wooden tray with three cups — objects, not characters.

Palette

White and red over a bleached blue, each in three tones — the only character with more white than dark; a single silver point on the apron tie. No green on the headwear — the top of the headwear is white.

Why this is not a caricature

The headwear is shown in everyday form with no additions: the arc is no taller than life-size, the tassel is one and not a bunch. No wedding or ceremonial versions. The saying 风花雪月, which the headwear carries, is retold on the card in one line as something said in Dali — not as our interpretation. The three cups are presented as the sequence of a host’s work before a guest, not as a “mystical ritual”; no claims about the drink’s properties. The cups on the tray remain objects: an anthropomorphic cup is forbidden, and none of the three gets eyes or a face.